Path of Destiny: Part Two: Love, Hope and Desires
by Ranmano1fan
Summary: The second installment of the PoD series. It's downtime in Nerima and it's newest couple decides it is time to get their affairs in order. How will the others react to that decision and what will they do about it? A little OOC. RaAk. Please R&R! Thanks!
1. Coping With Change

**Path of Destiny: Part Two: Love, Hope and Desires**

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma 1/2 (Like I could be so lucky). The character's names and likeness along with locations are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. I am only borrowing the characters and plan on giving them back when I'm done. All other characters and places that don't appear in the actual series (Anime and/or Manga) are of my own creation and are my property. Enjoy.

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Chapter One: Coping With Change

Walking passed the stairs, Ranma continued to rotate his left shoulder, amazed at how fast the nurse's healing cream was. Even though Captain Johza nearly tore the boy's arm off yesterday, today the teenager was pain-free. Strolling into the common room, he sees Kasumi and her father sitting around the coffee table, minding their own business. He then notices Soun is crying into his coffee cup.

Whispering to the eldest Tendo daughter, "What's wrong with him?"

She replied, "Akane told him about wanting to wait before getting married."

"I see," said Ranma. "Hello, sir," said the teenager to the girl's father.

"Huh? Oh, good afternoon my boy," responded Soun, not really looking at the teen.

"Where's Akane anyway?" the boy asked Kasumi.

"She's outside. I think she's practicing," she answered.

He thanked her and went outside. He finds Akane standing in front of the tree nearest her window. She was indeed practicing, sending a punch at the tree.

"Moko-Ken!" she shouted, but nothing happened.

She tried again, "Moko-Ken!" Still nothing happened.

Ranma snuck up behind her and wrapped his arms around her neck. She instinctively grabbed the back of his shirt and flung him over her head and onto his back. A second later she realizes who it was.

"Hello," he groaned.

"Sorry, that was total reflexes at work," she apologized, helping him up.

"What are you trying to do?" he asked.

"I was trying to do one of the moves I knew when I was wearing that armor," she explained.

"I get it. You're trying to do a Tiger Punch," agreed the boy.

"Yeah, but it won't work," she complained, trying once more, "Moko-Ken!" And once again, nothing happened, "See?"

"I do. Let me try," said Ranma, turning towards the tree.

He focused his energies and shouted, "Moko-Ken!" punching the tree. The fist hit the tree trunk, but nothing else happened. He tried several more times. His last try produced a flash of energy when he landed the punch.

"I get it now," he said, looking at his fist.

"What is it?" she asked.

"It's different than my Dragon Punch. The Dragon Punch is a punch enhanced by a individual person's battle aura, while The Tiger Punch is a fist powered by someone's confidence energies like my Fierce Tiger Shot. It takes more effort to do a energy-laced punch than to release it as a ball," he explained.

"Then why couldn't I do it? I was putting in the effort," wondered Akane.

"Effort alone won't make the attack work. You're problem is you don't have any control over your ki energy. I'm able to control my ki energy and shape it into a physical form; i.e. my Fierce Tiger Shot; but it takes more control to hold it and use it with your fist instead of just releasing it as a burst of energy. I think it might also be because you're not used to using your ki energy like that, at least not yet," answered the boy.

"How do I get control over it?" she asked.

"It won't be easy. I'll need you to pay close attention to my instructions and do what I tell you to," he replied.

"When do we start?" she wondered sounding anxious.

"Soon," he told her, "First there was a reason I came out here. I wanted to ask how much of the homework have you completed?"

"No, what you wanted was to copy off me," she corrects him, crossing her arms.

"Yeah, I did," admitted the boy, sheepishly scratching the back of his head.

"For your information I haven't even started yet," said Akane.

"Why not?" he asked.

"Because," she started, uncrossing her arms, "My schoolbooks are ruined, remember?" She emphasized her response by poking him in the ribs.

"Oh, right. I forgot," replied Ranma. He added, "Then, do you want to do the homework with me? We can use my books."

"I don't see why not," answered the girl, walking past him.

She headed for her room and grabbed a sizable handful of the paperwork that needed to be done and went to the dojo to lay it all out. He went to his room and grabbed his backpack and a larger handful of work than she did. He also went to the dojo and sat down next to her.

"Let's start with math, okay?" she said.

He agreed and took his math book out of his backpack and laid it in front of the two of them. She opened the book and began doing her homework. Ranma noticed Akane had opened the book to a section he had already learned. It didn't take long for it to dawn on him that she was gone longer than him and she needed to catch up before he could even start. So, he just watched her while she finished one assignment and went on to the next one. It only took her an hour and a half to complete the two extra days worth of math work she had.

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The differences between them was evident: he had one day's worth of homework from all his subjects, while she had eight day's worth of math homework with her. She told him she took the time that morning to sort her work by subject to make it easier. When he went on to a different subject she continued with the next day's math assignment. By the time Nabiki came home from school the two of them were nearly finished their respective piles of work they had grabbed. The middle sister handed them that day's homework. They thanked her and went back to work.

"I don't see why I have to bring home your work now that you guys are back," she complained.

"We've got a ton of homework to do and we need a few extra days away from school to complete it all," answered Akane, looking up at her sister, "It's not a problem, is it?"

"No, there's no problem, it's just that I may have to start charging you two to bring your work home," replied Nabiki with a slight smile, "Maybe a thousand yen a day."

"You'll do anything for some quick cash, won't you?" wondered Ranma.

"You know me," said the middle Tendo sibling. She added, "I'd love to stay and chat some more, but I have my own homework to do," and she left without another word.

When dinnertime rolled around the two teenagers stopped to eat. After they finished eating the both of them went to their rooms and grabbed some more work off their piles. When they called it a night they had completed an amount equal to two days of schoolwork. They started bright and early the next day and again they stopped only to eat. It took them to Thursday night to finish all the work they were assigned, including the three days of work they received after returning home.

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On Friday morning, Ranma and Akane got ready for school. Having finished all the work, the two teenagers were glad it was over. They were in no hurry to walk through the two stone pillars marking the entrance for the school, because of their relationship's new status. Walking together was no problem, they did that quite often. But now the two of them were holding hands as well. As usual, there were groups of teenagers standing around the front of the school, having polite conversations with each other. A few of the students looked over at the couple as they passed the stone pillars. The students nudged the person next to them and pointed over at Ranma and Akane.

One guy from the crowd says, "Look, they're holding hands."

A girl adds, "Then that means they're together."

A few murmurs followed the realization of the fact.

"This isn't going to be easy," said Akane, raising her eyebrows.

"Yeah and it just got harder," replied Ranma, releasing her hand.

He had good reason to say it: approaching them thru the crowd was the ever-dense Tatewaki Kuno, in all his glory. He stopped when he was standing in front of them.

Turning his attention to his rival, he says, "Know this, Saotome: even though you and I shared an experience together, that doesn't change anything between us. Our status as rivals still stands."

"Agreed. Now kindly step aside so we can continue," responded Ranma.

The older teenager ignored him and turned his attention to Akane. He asked, "Would you like to walk with me to the front door of the institution?"

He reached for her arm, only to be stopped by not one, but two feet to the face, one from the girl and the other from the younger boy.

She answers him, "Thanks, but no thanks."

Never to be deterred, Kuno wonders, "Why must you beat around the bush? Like the tide meeting the shore, it is destiny that you and I are meant to be together."

To prove her point, she grabs both of the older boy's ears and pulls him close.

She tells him, "We are not meant to be together. I don't love you and I never will. I love Ranma and I _choose_ to be with him."

She releases her hold on him, hoping he understands.

"Nonsense," he replies, patting her on the head, "I know that is only the spell Saotome put on you talking. Your true feelings have not only spoken to me, but they tell me you love me."

With a twitch in her eyebrow and a clenched fist, she sternly says, "You want my true feelings? Here they are: I don't love you!" and emphasizes the statement with an Uppercut Punch to the upperclassman's jaw, forcing his gaze skyward.

For a split second he looked unfazed and the next he falls; like the mighty redwood after being chopped down by a woodsman; landing flat on his back.

Straightening her composure, Akane says to Ranma, "Come on, we're going to be late," and grabs his hand.

They walk over the downed teenager and head for the front doors.

Standing in the doorway was Ukyo, who had seen the entire episode occur. She turned and quickly went inside before they got there. The couple just make it in before the late bell rings.

And remaining in the schoolyard was Kuno, still out cold.

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By lunchtime, the entire school knew Ranma and Akane were officially together. All eyes were turned in their direction as they looked for a table. Sitting down alone, they started to eat. It wasn't long before Ranma's two friends, Daisuke and Hiroshi sat down with them.

"I told you they were together," said Hiroshi.

"I see it and I still don't believe it," added Daisuke.

"Believe it, guys," responded Ranma with a smile.

Daisuke asked him, "Now that you picked one, can I have Shampoo?"

Choking back a laugh, the teen opens his mouth, but is interrupted.

"No man, I wanted Shampoo, you can have Ukyo," argued Hiroshi.

The boy answers both of them, "Why ask me? Why don't you ask them?"

"Because we wanted to know if you would care about us asking them out," said Daisuke.

"Well," started their friend.

"Tell them. Would you care if they asked them out?" Akane asked him, with a humorless tone.

"Why would I care, it's not like either one of them is my girlfriend," he replied with a nervous chuckle included.

"Thanks, man. I'll ask Shampoo out right after school," said Daisuke.

"Not unless I do first," Hiroshi tells him.

"Why do you want the same thing I want," responded one of them.

"No, _you_ always want what _I_ want," argued the other.

Ranma cleared his throat and said, "Guys, could you leave? We wanted to be alone."

They apologized, got up and walked away still arguing.

Akane asked with a hint of worry in her voice, "_Would_ you care if they asked them out?"

He assures her, "No, I wouldn't care. You're my girlfriend, not them."

"Thanks," she said, smiling slightly.

Finishing their meal, the two teenagers returned to their class.

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After school, they walked home holding hands. When they reached the Nekohanten they saw Shampoo leaning against the building waiting.

"Nihao, husband. Shampoo glad you are back," she said, smiling brightly at him.

Rolling his eyes, he says, "Hello, Shampoo."

"Shampoo not glad violent tomboy back," she says, turning her attention to Akane and losing the smile, "Tomboy should've stayed lost."

"Well, I didn't. I'm so sorry to disappoint you," snapped the girl.

Looking down, the purple-haired girl asks, "Why you two hold hands?"

"Because we're together now," replied the Japanese girl.

"Why date tomboy when you can have Shampoo?" wondered the amazon, posing seductively.

"Cause we love each other," answered Ranma.

"But Shampoo love Ranma too," stated Shampoo in an almost whiny tone of voice.

"You love the way I fight," he corrected her.

The amazon girl starts to cry, "We amazons love strong fighters, is that wrong?"

Before either he or Akane could say anything, Shampoo's tone became cold and her tears stopped, "You will be Shampoo's. Sooner or later."

She turned with a, "Hmph" and walked inside the Nekohanten without looking back.

"She's up to something," said Ranma.

"Yeah. Whatever it is will mean trouble for one of us," agreed Akane, adding, "Come on," pulling him along.

A fair distance away stood Ukyo, keeping an eye on the two lovebirds as they made their way home. 'Oh, Ranma,' she thought, sighing out loud.

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At the Kuno residence a certain 'kendo master' is telling his dear sister the bad news.

"Brother, are you sure they were holding hands?" she asked.

"Quite sure, sister," replied Tatewaki, "That Saotome is getting to be a huge problem."

"No, the problem is the girl and it looks as though I will have to remedy this situation," said Kodachi, laughing a little.

"You're not going to hurt my beloved Akane, are you dear sister?" he wondered.

"Do not worry, my dear brother. When I'm done you will have her for yourself, as I will have my Ranma for myself," she assured him.

"Thank you, sister," he said, leaving his sister to her work.

"No one shall have my Ranma but me and this annoying little girl will feel the total weight of sorrow and disbelief, when my darling proclaims his love for me," Kodachi announced out loud to herself.

"It won't be long until you're in my loving arms, my beloved Akane. And that cur, Saotome will be begging for my forgiveness, for thinking him and you were meant to be," Tatewaki said to himself out loud, walking to his room.


	2. Newfound Power

To help Akane learn how to control her ki energy, Ranma has chosen a rock quarry as the ideal place to train, on a lovely Saturday afternoon.

His instructions sounded simple enough, "First thing you need to do is build up your confidence. Feel it rising up inside yourself, flowing through your body. Focus all that built-up confidence to your hands, almost force it there. Put your hands forward and then release it at your target."

She took a big breath, closed her eyes and loosened herself up.

Standing still, she repeated the phrase, "I can do this."

After a minute, she puts her hands together, pushes them forward and releases her feelings. Opening her eyes she looked over at him and asked, "Anything?"

He shook his head to answer her.

"Keep trying, you'll get it eventually," he tells her.

She tried again, repeating all the movements. After a few more failed attempts she complains, "I'll never get it to work."

"There's your problem, you're thinking it will fail, so it will. You have to be confident and believe it will work. Only then will it succeed," replied Ranma.

She tried once more and failed again. Then the boy got an idea.

He said, "Come here and stand in front of me."

She did what she was told. He turned her around so her back was to him. He pressed his body against her's and said, "Let's see if this helps."

He wraps his hands over her's and moves them around. The closeness of the two of them is making Akane a little uneasy.

"Just relax and keep in time with my hands," he told her as he focused his energy.

Pushing both pairs of hands forward, the boy releases a Fierce Tiger Shot thru her hands hitting one of the walls of the quarry. The feeling she got from the energy blast felt like nothing she ever felt before. The amount of confidence she received made her feel like nothing could hold her back from reaching her goal.

Ranma quietly asks, "Did you feel it?"

"Yes, it was wonderful," replied Akane, sighing.

"Do you think you can do it now?" he wondered, backing away.

"I'll try," she said.

She closed her eyes focused on the feeling the Fierce Tiger Shot gave her and went through the motions. She pushed her hands forward and released the feeling.

"Did it work?" she asked, turning her head to look at Ranma before opening her eyes.

"See for yourself," he answered, pointing at something.

That something was a small orb of energy floating a few feet off the ground.

"I did it!" she exclaimed.

"Yes, but it was only a little bit. You should try for a bigger one next time," he told her, smiling.

The girl's celebration was cut short when a single black rose sliced the energy orb into oblivion.

"What the-?" said Akane, looking around.

They knew that rose was the calling card of Kodachi Kuno, another one of Ranma's female suitors. They found her standing on the outer rim of the quarry. She was dressed in a black, v-neck dress cut at the knees, with a red sash tied around her waist. She jumped down and slid all the way to the bottom. She almost looked like she floated, flapping in the wind behind her was a pink gymnastic ribbon she always carried around with her. She walked over to the awaiting couple.

"That is so precious seeing both the student and the teacher happy over the student's achievement," she said.

"What do you want?" asked the boy.

"Nothing from you, at least not yet my darling," replied the other girl, "I came here for her," and she pointed at Akane.

"Me? What do you want me for?" she wondered.

"My brother is waiting for you and I planned on delivering you to him," answered Kodachi.

"Then you'll have to go thru me to do it," said Ranma, stepping in front of his girlfriend.

"I won't have you interfere, my darling. This is a problem only us ladies can resolve," responded the girl in the black dress.

"Are you saying you want to fight me?" asked Akane.

"Yes, but not in the vulgar sense of the word. I challenged you sounds better," replied Kodachi.

"Alright, I'll accept your challenge on one condition. If I win you will no longer be able to pursue after Ranma ever again," said the girl.

"Fine and the same goes for you after I win," responded the other girl.

The boy grabs his girlfriend's arm and pulls her to the side. "Are you sure you want to do this?" he wondered, sounding worried.

She gave him a peck on the cheek and said, "I'll be okay. This won't take long."

She stepped away from him feeling confident.

"Let's do this," said Akane, cracking her knuckles and getting into a battle stance.

"Whenever your ready," replied Kodachi, feigning a yawn.

Not wasting anymore time Akane charged forward, cocking back her fist. Launching her punch she hits air, while her opponent countered with a sidestep and kick to her sternum. She fought back with a Roundhouse Kick, but missed thanks to her opponent doing a split.

Kodachi quickly brought her back leg forward and used both legs to trip up her enemy. Getting back on her feet, Akane tried another punch. She missed again because Kodachi ducked down and the attack soared over her head. Again she used both of her legs to trip her enemy once more.

Kodachi used the opportunity to get some distance between the two of them. Rising to her feet, Akane saw her opponent was a good ways away. She ran to meet her, only to stop when Kodachi snapped her gymnastic ribbon like a whip, halting the girl in her tracks.

"This is becoming boring," she said, feigning another yawn.

Snapping her ribbon again, she was caught off guard when Akane grabbed it mid-snap.

"That's mine," she cried, trying to tug it loose.

Yanking hard, Akane took the ribbon away from her opponent and threw it aside.

Launching herself at Kodachi, she tried another punch. Again her opponent ducked down and this time grabbed both of the girl's ankles and pulled her off her feet. Keeping hold of her rival's feet, Kodachi prevented her from being able to attack or defend.

"Let me go!" shouted Akane, trying to kick herself free.

The girl in the black dress attacked by planting her heel into her opponent's gut three times. Akane clenched her fists and tossed some of the gravel into her opponent's eyes. Using her hands and arms to protect her face, Kodachi released her hold on the girl's ankles. Seizing the moment of her opponent's vulnerability, Akane got up and attacked with a knee to the gut. Then she chopped at the back of Kodachi's head, putting her on the ground. She used her foot to turn her opponent over.

Pulling her fist back, she was ready to land the blow, when Kodachi put her hands up over her face and shouted, "No!"

Akane lowered her fist, turned and walked away.

Meanwhile her opponent slipped her hand behind her back and pulled out a tiny pouch. Inside the pouch was some of the paralyzing powder she specialized in. Standing up, she threw the bag at her opponent.

"Akane, look out!" shouted Ranma.

Spinning around, she caught the bag without it busting. Quickly, she tossed it back to it's owner. Kodachi tried to catch it, but thanks to her long fingernails, the bag popped open. A cloud of powder circled around her head. Coughing loudly, Kodachi inhaled some of the paralyzing powder. The effects were almost instant, she couldn't move her arms or legs no matter how hard she tried.

Picking up the gymnastic ribbon, Akane says to Ranma, "I've got an idea."

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Some time later, the doorbell to the Kuno residence rings. Tatewaki comes to the door with a bouquet in his one hand, his bokken at his side. Grabbing the knob, he opens the door.

"Akane Tendo, how nice to-" he says, before realizing it wasn't her.

Instead, the person at the door was Kodachi who was hog-tied with her own gymnastic ribbon. It was also tied over her mouth. Her muffled screams couldn't be understood.

"Sister, how did this happen?" he asked, removing the ribbon from her mouth.

"That wretched little girl did this and my Ranma helped her!" she replied, struggling in her bindings.

"Saotome, I swear the next time we meet, you will feel the sting of my blade!" he proclaimed, thrusting his bokken skyward.

"Forget about your blade and help me!" shouted Kodachi.

"Sorry," apologized Tatewaki, returning his attention to his sister.

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"Did you see the look on her face as we tied her up?" laughed Akane, walking hand in hand with Ranma.

"Yeah I did, it was golden," he agreed, laughing with her.

"That's one down, only two more left," she said, counting them off with her free hand.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Nothing," she replied, smiling at him.

"Come on, tell me. What are you doing, for real?" he repeated.

"Really?" she starts, "I was just figuring out who was left. The ones that have to realize your _my_ boyfriend and have to get over it, too."

"Yeah, Shampoo and Ukyo, right?" he wondered.

She nodded.

"Ukyo might be the easier of the two. And Shampoo won't give me up without a fight," he told her.

"Which is why I have to get stronger, she's way better than me," she pointed out.

"But you have one thing she doesn't," said Ranma.

"What?" she asked.

"Me," he answered, giving her a smile, "And what I'm going to teach you."

She put her head on his shoulder and sighed.

"Akane?" he said, "Can I ask you something?"

"What is it?" she wondered, lifting her head up to look him in the eyes.

"Well, I was um... wondering if you'd like to uh..." he replied, mumbling the last part.

"What did you say?" she said, giving him a quizzical look.

"A date!" he shouted, startling her slightly.

He softened his voice, "A date. I wanted to take you on a date."

She giggled, "Sure. What time?"

"How about next Friday at six? We could have dinner and do some other dating-type things," he said, nervously.

"Okay," she answered, kissing him on the cheek again.

'That was easy,' he thought.

'About time he asked,' thought Akane.

They continued walking and made it home in time for supper. Opening the front door, the two teenagers could hear two people crying. Entering the common room, they find both Soun and Genma sobbing while playing a game of shoji.

"I guess your dad told mine what it was you told him the other day," whispered Ranma.

"Looks that way," she whispered back.

"Let's leave them alone," said the boy, backing away.

She followed him into another room.

"It's pathetic seeing two grown men cry," he told her.

Biting her lower lip she replies, "Maybe we should let them plan another wedding."

"Are you crazy? You remember what happened the last time those two planned a wedding, don't you?" he asked.

"Of course I do, it's just hard watching them act like that. They should be happy we're together. Instead they're sad because I told them we're not ready to be married yet," she pointed out.

"And we're not ready," he agreed, adding, "Someday soon we will be, but not right now."

"So, what do we do about those two?" wondered Akane.

"I don't know. If we let them plan the wedding, they'll want to have it as soon as possible. We want to wait and they don't, there might have to be a compromise between the four of us," he answered, "It's up to us when we'll get married, not them."

"Dinner time, you two. Come and get it," interrupted Kasumi.

"Okay," they reply in unison.

"We'll talk to them after dinner and come to some sort of agreement, how's that sound?" asked the boy.

"Anything to get them to stop crying," added the girl.

Walking into the common room again, they see the two old men still sobbing as they ate their dinner.

"Just remember, it's our choice, not their's," said Ranma, under his breath.

"Right," she agreed, under her breath as well.

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"Are you sure your plan will work, great-grandmother?" asked the girl with long, purple hair.

"Yes, after this you'll have your husband," replied the old lady.

The two women; one young and one old; were rinsing and drying the dishes from that day's customers of the Nekohanten as Mousse wiped down the tables. Shampoo's great-grandmother; Cologne; may be over a hundred years old, but that doesn't stop her from trying to make Ranma marry her great-granddaughter as it says in their amazon laws.

"Is something wrong, my child?" wondered the old hag, concerned over the girl's silence.

"Maybe plan too much? Maybe we try other plan?" responded Shampoo, rinsing a dish.

"Your not afraid of that Akane girl, are you?" asked Cologne, drying the dish her great-granddaughter handed her.

"I never afraid," answered the girl, "It just every plan we try has failed. What make this one different?"

"Because," started the old lady, "I have never seen this one fail. And we're running out of options, to tell you the truth. If this plan fails, we may have to go home to China empty-handed."

"Can I think about this first?" wondered Shampoo.

"You can have a little time to think it over, but not too long," said her great-grandmother.

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"Why did you two want to see us?" asked Genma.

Ranma and Akane had asked the two fathers to meet them in the dojo after dinner.

"We wanted to talk to you," said the boy.

"We were thinking about letting you plan another wedding," added the girl.

The two old men's attitudes immediately changed for the better upon hearing that statement.

"Really? You won't regret it," replied Soun, before turning his attention to his friend.

He asked, "How many people should we invite?"

"Hold on for one second, now," interrupted the boy.

At once they stopped talking and looked at him. Before he could say anything else, the front door of the dojo slides open and Nodoka steps in.

"Kasumi said I'd find you here," she said.

"Mom, I'm glad you came, you can hear what I have to say too," said the young man.

She sat down next to her husband, who sat opposite of their son.

"Spit it out, boy. What is it?" wondered his father.

"We will allow you to plan our wedding-" started Ranma.

"That's wonderful, dear," responded his mother.

"Only," he continued, "Only if you allow us some time to adjust to being a couple. Then we'll go through with a wedding."

"Don't be dumb," argued Genma.

"We should get it out of the way as soon as we can. You can adjust later," agreed Soun.

"I believe we should give them the time," answered Nodoka.

"Why should we?" asked her husband.

"Did we get married right after you proposed to me? Did Soun and his wife get married right away? No, we didn't. We allowed our love the time to blossom and our children deserve that time as well," she explained.

"Fine," huffed the boy's father, "One week."

"Five months," said Akane.

"Three weeks," replied her father.

"Four months," responded the boy.

"A month and a half," said his father.

"Three months," answered the girl.

"Two months," argued Soun.

"Two and a half," said Ranma, "After she accepts."

"You mean she hasn't accepted the engagement yet?" asked Nodoka.

The girl sheepishly replied, "Not yet."

"No, two and a half months from now," argued Genma.

"Dear, why not wait until after she accepts?" wondered the boy's mother.

"For all we know the whole thing could be called off by next week," he answered her.

"That's not going to happen, we've gotten past the arguing point in our relationship," the boy assured his parents.

"Very well, after she accepts, but she better soon," said Genma.

"Don't worry, you three will be the first ones to know when I do," Akane told them.

"Shall we go home then?" asked Nodoka, rising off the floor.

"I guess so," agreed Genma, getting up as well.

Saying their goodbyes, Ranma's parents leave the dojo and head for home. Soun gets up as well and walks back into the house, leaving the young couple alone in the dojo.

"That reminds me," started the boy, "When are you going to accept my proposal?"

"Soon, there are a few things we need to do before I'll accept," she replied, beginning to get up.

Ranma quickly grabs her hand and pulls her back down.

"Is this one of them?" he asked, kissing her before she could answer.

Akane loosened up after a second and then embraced the kiss the next. Wrapping their arms around each other, the two of them didn't want to let go of the other. Opening their mouths, their tongues begin to dance back and forth between their mouths. Laying down on top of him, the kiss continued, until Ranma tried to lift her shirt up.

She released the kiss and said, "I don't think so."

Sitting on his stomach, she started pulling her shirt back down. There was a flash of light and then a whirring sound. They look and find Nabiki standing in the dojo's doorway with a camera in her hands.

"A picture is worth a thousand words, or in this case, a thousand yen," she says, leaving the startled couple alone.

"Nabiki!" they shout as they scrambled to their feet.

She was already locked in her room by the time they got there.

Pounding on the door, Ranma says, "Open this door or we'll break it down."

"Not for all the yen in Japan," she replied.

"Nabiki, please open the door. We'll gladly pay you for that picture," said Akane.

"Speak for yourself, I'm liable to hit her for what she just did," argued the boy.

"You won't if you know what's good for you," snapped the girl.

"I've got plenty of people who will pay top yen for this picture. It's pure gold," the older girl tells them.

"Please don't spread that picture around, we'd never be able to live it down," pleaded her sister.

"What's in it for me?" asked Nabiki.

"A knuckle sandwich," answered Ranma.

Akane slaps his chest, "Stop that!" she tells him.

"How about three thousand yen says you'll destroy that picture?" wondered the younger of the two girls.

"Make it five and I'll think about it," said her sister.

"Alright five, but you have to destroy the picture," replied the youngest.

"I want the money up front first," responded Nabiki.

"You'll get your money," she assured her older sister, "So, will you open the door?"

"Not going to happen, sorry," apologized the middle sister.

"You want me to break it down?" asked Ranma.

"No, if you do, we'll owe her not only the five thousand, but also for the broken door," answered his girlfriend.

"So what do we do?" he wondered.

"We pay her," said Akane, "Before someone else does."

Looking around, the boy says, "Since we're upstairs, I guess we should call it a night."

"Guess so," she agreed.

They said goodbye to each other and headed in different directions to their rooms, for a good night's rest.


	3. Helping Out

Starting a new school week didn't appeal to the new couple. Even though they were in school for only one day last week, having all eyes turned in their direction became annoying by the end of the day. Walking thru the stone entrance, they were immediately bombarded by people's gazes. Some still in disbelief and others of disapproval, as though they were saying 'He/she could've done better than him/her.'

One of the people looking was Ukyo and her eyes told a tale of longing. A longing for Ranma to kiss her and for him to say he loved her. But she has an inkling that it won't happen as she watched them be together. And yet, there was a slight feeling of happiness mixed in, knowing her childhood friend has found love. She realizes she'll have to deal with them sooner or later, but for now she'll remain in the background, fighting within herself to find her true feelings. She ducked into the school before they saw her.

Another pair of eyes was watching them as well. They were focused on Ranma more than anything. They weren't filled with disbelief or disapproval, but with anger. The eyes belonged to one Tatewaki Kuno and he went out to meet his rival.

"Halt!" he ordered, stopping in front of the couple.

"And what shall we attribute this morning's greeting to?" asked the boy, mocking the older teenager's way of talking.

Pulling out his wooden sword, he holds it an inch from Ranma's chest. "How dare you treat my sister that way. Do you realize how humiliated she was to be bound and gagged?" responded Kuno.

"Why don't you tell us then," replied the younger teen.

"I won't give you the satisfaction," answered the older boy with a sneer.

"Instead," started Tatewaki, lifting his bokken over his head, "I will give you a taste of my blade!"

Then he swung down with all his might.

Ranma reacted by clapping his hands together, catching the sword mid-swing and stopping it's movement.

"Your sister got what she deserved. She tried to use some of that paralyzing powder she likes on Akane, but luckily it backfired on her," the boy pointed out, "So, if you want to blame somebody, blame her not me."

Snapping the wooden sword in two and leaving one half on the ground, the couple walked around the upperclassman and continued towards the front doors. Not one to take the breaking of his sword lightly, Kuno charged forward ready to pummel his rival. Ranma sidestepped out of the way, while sticking out his foot. The older boy tripped and fell right on his face.

Lifting his head off the ground, he shouts, "I'll get you for that, Saotome!"

"Go ahead!" the boy called back, entering the school.

------------------------------------------------------------

It had started to rain by the time school let out. Ranma; now in his cursed form; and Akane ran straight home. They only stopped once, standing under the bridge they pass to and from school everyday to catch their breath.

Entering the Tendo residence, the couple was soaking wet. Kasumi was there waiting with warm towels at the ready. They thanked her and started drying themselves off. Shortly after them Nabiki walked in, dry as a bone.

"The weatherman said it was going to rain today, you two should've brought an umbrella with you like I did," she said in a flat, matter-of-fact tone of voice, shaking the umbrella.

"He said it was only a thirty percent chance. It didn't seem like it was going to rain," replied her younger sister.

"Better safe than sorry," said the older of the two, sage-like. Handing the umbrella to the oldest sister, Nabiki headed for her room.

------------------------------------------------------------

A warm bath and a change of clothes and Ranma was back in his uncursed body. Standing in the upstairs hallway, the boy was questioning himself about whether he should ask or not. Concluding that he might be better off if he did, he knocked on Nabiki's door.

"Yes?" she said from inside.

"Can we talk?" he asked.

She replied, "Enter at your own risk."

Shutting the door behind him, the teenager then sat on the floor, while she sat at her desk.

She started the conversation, "If this is about the photo, don't worry I haven't sold it yet."

"This isn't about the picture," he tells her.

"Then, what is it about?" she wondered.

He came right out and said, "I asked Akane out on a date for Friday night."

"Why are you telling this to me?" she asked, a little confused.

"I need your help," answered Ranma.

"Exactly why do you need my help?" wondered the middle sister, giving him a quizical look.

"I want this date to be perfect. No interruptions, no destruction of somebody else's property and things like that," he explained.

"So you want a normal date then?" she asked.

"Yes," agreed the boy, looking down at the carpet.

"Okay, I'll help you out," replied Nabiki.

A little shocked at how easy that was, he then asks, "How much is it going to cost me?"

"First one's on me," said the girl, smiling and giving him a wink, "After all, what's a future sister-in-law for?"

"Thanks," responded Ranma.

"Don't mention it. Really, if word gets out about this act of kindness, my reputation is shot," she told him in a flat tone of voice.

Even though he knew she was being serious, he couldn't help but laugh at her comment.

Then he got down to business, "Nobody else can know about the date. It has to remain a secret."

"Then you shouldn't have told me," she pointed out.

"I know, but without your help the whole thing would be a disaster waiting to happen," he replied.

"So what do you want me to do?" she asked.

"I need help booking a reservation for a nice, romantic place, but the thing is I don't know which one to choose," answered the boy.

"Leave it to me. I'll book the reservation and let you know where it is by Friday," responded Nabiki.

He thanked her again and continued, "The other thing is making sure no unexpected visitors show up. We don't have to worry about Ryoga anymore. It's Shampoo and Kodachi that's the problem."

"What about Ukyo? Wouldn't she be a problem as well?" asked the girl.

"I planned on talking with her sometime this week," he replied, "She needs to know how I feel towards her."

"Shampoo is the least of the two to worry about, since she waitresses at the Nekohanten at night. Now, unless Kodachi frequents the fancy restaurants every night, you wouldn't see her at all. I'll call a few friends to see if they can keep tabs on both girls to make sure your date goes well," said the middle sister, calculating a response, "The same thing could be said about Kodachi as well as her brother, Tatewaki. They probably stay at home and think of ways to get the person they want for themselves."

Their attention is diverted by a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" asked Nabiki.

"Can I come in?" replied Akane.

"Sure," answered her sister.

"Nabiki, I- oh, hi Ranma," said the youngest sibling, realizing the two girls weren't alone as she shut the door behind her.

He said hello back.

"What did you want?" wondered the older sister.

"I've got the money you wanted for the picture," she responded, pulling the money from her pocket.

The middle Tendo daughter traded the photo for the five thousand yen.

"You didn't make copies of it, I hope," asked the younger of the two girls.

"No, I didn't make copies," she assured her, fingering the money, making sure it was all there.

Turning her attention to her boyfriend, the girl asks, "What are you doing in here?"

"We're just talking, that's all," he tells her. He added, "I think we're done anyway," and stands up.

"Yeah, we're finished talking," agreed Nabiki.

The couple say their goodbyes and leave her room.

Walking down the hall, Akane asks, "What were you two talking about?"

"Not much," he replied, trying to avoid the topic.

"Come on, tell me," she insisted.

"Nothing that important, just some homework I needed help with," lied the boy.

"Oh, if that's all, I see you downstairs. There's something I need to do in my room first," answered the girl, kissing him on the cheek.

She entered her room, while he walked down the stairs and into the common room.

------------------------------------------------------------

Shutting and locking her door, Akane placed the photo on her desk and pulled out the parcel Prince Tshugo had given her. She has been reluctant to open it because of the memories it brings back. Finally opening the package, she was determined to get over the thoughts the stuff he purchased for her gives her.

On top of everything was the pair of white gloves she had on for that one dinner she had with the Prince. Underneath was the blue dress she wore for that same dinner. She unfolded the dress and draped it over her body.

Looking at herself in the mirror, she thought, 'Maybe I'll wear this for our date. Ranma hasn't seen it and it's fairly nice.'

Placing the dress on her bed, she reached for another item in the package. The next thing she pulled out was the white sash to go along with the dress. She put it with the dress and continued with the parcel. The last item was the silk nightgown she wore while in the coma-like state the Lazarus potion put her in after her death. She lifted the nightgown up and noticed two things fall out from inside it.

Putting the gown on the bed, she bent down and picked up what fell. One of the two items was a note, the other looked like some sort of leather belt with golden fasteners.

'I don't remember him buying this,' she said to herself, looking back and forth from the belt to the note.

She opened the note and read it. She immediately dropped the belt a few sentences into the message.

'No, it can't be,' she thought, her eyes wide with shock, looking at the belt as it laid on the floor.

She reread the note to be sure.

It said, "Akane, I hope you will enjoy these gifts. If you haven't figured it out yet, the leather belt came from your discarded battle armor. Don't be alarmed, first I wish to tell you the loyalty spell that was cast on your armor is broken. Even if you put the belt on now it will not work. However, the other spells that were cast on it are still there. After the unexpected turn of events that resulted in your death, I had the armorist take the destroyed armor and fashion together the belt before you. I thought you might be able to put the belt to good use, seeing that you are allowed to fight in your homeland. Please, do not think of ill of me, I am sorry for the way these things turned out. I only wish the best for you and your fiance. Sincerely, Prince Makiu Tshugo."

Looking down at the belt again, she repeated the phrase, "Put the belt to good use."

Picking it back up, she thought to herself, 'It couldn't hurt to try it on.'

She wrapped it around her waist and used the golden buttons it had to fasten it in place. After fastening the last button, Akane felt a rush of power sweep over her entire body. Every inch of her being felt infused with an energy she had only felt once before, the first time she had worn the armor back in Nyajan.

"Whoa," she said, amazed at the feeling the belt gave her.

The flood of fighting information she received nearly overwhelmed her. She unfastened the belt and the feeling disappeared.

'Okay, it only works when I wear it,' she thought. Her eyes lit up as she continued her thought, 'That gives me an idea.'

Putting the belt on the bed, she returned her attention to the dress.

'I can't wait until Friday to show this off,' she told herself, lifting the dress up again, 'And that belt could give me the edge I needed to beat Shampoo.'


	4. Dealing With Change

The next school day had been uneventful, except when Ranma and Akane had to avoid a certain "kendo master". Tatewaki Kuno had positioned himself near the entrance of the school, in hopes of catching his rival off guard. But when his back was turned, they peeked around the stone pillar and saw him waiting there. So, instead of entering through the front gate, the couple scaled a side wall and entered the school by way of the gymnasium.

Entering the classroom, they discovered that Ukyo hadn't showed up yet. She still didn't appear by the time the late bell rang.

At lunch they both agreed something might be wrong and that one of them should find out what. Ranma volunteered for the duty.

------------------------------------------------------------

After school was over and the couple was home, the boy announced he was going for a walk. He made his way over to the restaurant owned by Ukyo. It's name was Uchan's, after the nickname Ranma had given her when they were little kids. He stood outside and glanced in. He saw her behind the cooking counter making her speciality, okonomiyaki; or Japanese pizza.

He went in and sat down at the end of the bar.

Without looking at the new customer at first, Ukyo happily says, "Greetings and welcome to U- oh, it's you," realizing who it was. The perkiness in her voice was gone as well.

"Hello to you too," he says back.

"What do you want?" she asked, a sour tone present in her voice.

"I want to talk," answered the boy.

"Sorry, I don't have time to chat," she told him flatly and she went to a different customer.

She handed the guy his bill and took his payment.

"Thank you, come again," she called to the guy as he left.

Without any other customers at the time, Ukyo was forced to deal with the remaining one.

"What do you want?" she hissed.

"I want to talk with you," he repeated.

"I won't talk unless you order something," she replied, crossing her arms.

"Fine, I'll take a house special," he told her.

"Right away," she says, pouring the batter.

She worked while he talked.

Noticing she was alone, he asked, "Where's Konatsu?"

"He's not here. After a group a guys hit on him he started questioning himself and his identity. He left about three weeks ago on a journey of self-discovery. I don't even know if he'll come back," she explained, flipping the pancake of dough.

"Oh," he said, then he asked, "Why weren't you in school today?"

"I felt sick this morning, but I'm okay now," she answered, pouring the sauce and piling on the toppings.

When Ukyo finished making the pizza she served it to him. "Here you go," she said in a flat tone of voice.

"Thanks," he says, adding, "I don't think you were sick this morning. I bet something is bothering you."

"What makes you say that?" she wondered, giving him a quizical look.

"Because you were always so cheerful around me, but now you're not," he explained, taking a bite, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong," she told him in a quick response.

"Come on, I'm your friend, you can tell me anything," insisted the boy, smiling.

"Just a friend," she snaps, "Is that all I am to you, a friend?"

"The truth comes out. You're mad because Akane and I are together now, aren't you?" he wondered.

"Can't get anything past you," she snapped again, turning her back to him.

"I thought you'd be happy we're together," said Ranma, sounding worried.

"I am, but a part of me wishes it was us that was together, not the two of you," she replies, turning back around with tears welling up in her eyes. "I've spent the last two years loving you, trying everything I could to get you to love me in return and now you want me to stop all of a sudden? It's not that simple."

"I understand that, but I want to know one thing: could you take it?" asked the boy, holding a finger up.

"Take what?" wondered Ukyo, sounding confused.

"The chaos that has been a permanent fixture in my life," said Ranma.

"I could try," she answered, her voice sounding a little unsure of itself.

"Trying isn't going to cut it. You've only seen a fraction of what I have had to endure. Akane is the only one of you girls that has played a part in it, a lot more than the rest of you. Hell, I'm surprised either one of us hasn't gone insane from all the things that have happened to us. I have no doubts that after I'm married the chaos will continue to occur. You say you love me, but do you think you could withstand everything that might come along? Akane has proven she loves me and is willing to fight alongside me against whatever comes to challenge us," he explained, putting it bluntly.

His words cut deeply into her soul. She knew he was right and it hurt her to admit it. Ukyo turned her tearful gaze to the floor, taking in what he said with a heavy heart and tears streaming down her face.

Ranma tried lightening up the conversation, "I guess all the major events we've been through are what brought us together in the end."

Lifting her head up, the okonomiyaki chef asks in an almost pleading tone, "Did I ever have a chance? Could you have ever loved me? Please tell me at one point in the last two years that you loved me."

"I'm sorry," he apologized, sounding sincere.

"You're sorry? All you can say is 'I'm sorry'? I thought we could be something special," she yells at him, her sadness turning into anger.

"We are something, Ukyo," he assured her, keeping his tone soft.

"Yeah, friends," she scoffed, crossing her arms once again and turing her eyes away, "Nothing more."

"No, you're wrong. We're more than friends," he corrects her, adding, "Ukyo, I love you."

"You do?" she asked, looking back at him and giving a faint smile.

"Yeah, I do. I love you like a sister. That's how I feel, I feel like we're family," said Ranma, smiling back.

"A sister?! Is that suppose to make me fell better?!" she asked, sarcastically angry, her smile gone.

"It is and I want you to be happy. Someday you'll find your own true love," he told her, trying to sound reassuring.

"I don't want to find another true love, my love is for you," answered the girl, pouring her heart out to him.

"But I don't love you that way," he responded.

"I know, you love me like a sister. Well, what if I don't want to be a sister to you anymore!? What if I wanted to be more than that!?" she wondered with tears of anger in her eyes.

"It must be hard being the odd person out in a relationship," said the boy.

"You have no idea how it feels!" she shot at him as the tears streaked her face.

The phone rings and she picks it up after the second ring.

"Uchan's, how may I take your order?" she asks, her perkiness returning while wiping her tears away with her forearm.

"Yes, maam. It'll be there in less than thirty minutes," she said, finished taking the order and hanging up the receiver.

Before she starts preparing the order, Ukyo hands him a bill and says with a cold, hard tone of voice, "I've got to make this order."

The boy could tell there was a subtle, yet hidden message in her sentence, it told him she wanted him to leave.

Ranma pays her and replies, "I still want us to be friends. I never meant to hurt your feelings, but could you think about it, please?"

The teenager stands up and walks out.

She scoffed again while working on the order, 'Stupid Ranma,' she thought, evidently still mad at him, 'Thinking I'll continue to be his friend.'

Completing the pizzas, she boxes them and ties them together. Leaving her giant spatula behind, Ukyo walks out the front door and locks up behind her. She starts for the customer's home.

'What makes him think I like being his friend, anyway?' she thought angrily, stopping at an intersection.

The sounds of a siren in the not so far off distance doesn't bother her. Waiting for the light to change, the sirens got louder.

'And yet, even after I yelled at him, he still wants me to be his friend,' thought the girl, starting to feel guilty.

She steps onto the crosswalk with a sullen look on her face. She takes a few steps, when a blaring car horn catches her attention. Looking up, she sees a car barreling down on her at a high speed. With her eyes wide with shock, she wasn't able to move. She was frozen in fear. She still couldn't move as the automobile came closer and closer. Seconds before the car hit her, someone darted out, grabbed her and pulled her to the safety of the sidewalk. The speeding auto zipped by with a police cruiser in hot pursuit.

"Are you okay?" asked the worried stranger, as a crowd began to form.

Opening her eyes, she looked at the stranger, only to find it wasn't a stranger. "Ryoga, you saved my life," answered Ukyo, sounding surprised as she sat up.

He put his hand behind his head and said, "Yeah, I guess I did," and chuckled a bit.

"Thank you," she happily replied, reaching out and wrapping her arms around his neck.

She quickly released the hug when she realized what she did. "Sorry about that," she apologized, starting to blush.

"That's okay, I don't mind," responded the stunned teenager, his eyes looking forward as his face began to turn red as well.

Glancing down, the boy says, "Your elbow is bleeding."

Looking down she agreed, "Yeah, I guess it is. I must've skinned it on the sidewalk."

Ryoga took one of his bandanas, wrapped it around the wound and tied it off.

"There you go," he tells her.

She thanked him again and he helped her to her feet. Gazing into each other's eyes and holding each other's hands, the two teenagers' heads began to inch closer together. Before they were about to kiss, Ukyo suddenly remembered what she was suppose to be doing and looked around for her delivery. She found it and was amazed it was only slightly damaged.

"I've got to go. Thanks again," she said, her face bright red as she walked away in a hurry.

"Anytime," he called, still blushing.

The crowd dispersed while he was left standing there feeling a little awkward.

------------------------------------------------------------

She made her delivery with only a minute to spare.

Walking home, Ukyo thought to herself, 'Why did I hug him? I shouldn't have done that. And I almost _kissed_ him too. What could I've been thinking?'

Looking down at the make-shift bandage, she continued to think, all the while smiling at the thought, 'It was very brave of him to jump in front of that speeding car. Both of us could have been killed. And it was nice of him to wrap up my elbow too. Ryoga was _definitely_ in the right place at the right time today.'

She reached the restaurant and re-opened it, going back to work making her customers happy with the okonomiyaki. Every second she could spare, she thought about how nice Ryoga was to her.

By closing time Ukyo was dead tired. She slowly climbed the stairs to the second floor where she lived in an apartment over the restaurant. She unwrapped the bandana from around her elbow, cleaned the wound and gave it a proper bandage.

Holding onto the bloody bandana, she smiles and says to herself, "Thanks, Ryoga."

------------------------------------------------------------

Kicking a stone down the street, Ranma thought to himself, 'I hated to do that to her, but at least she knows how I really feel about her.'

A police siren gets the boy's attention. He stops, looks up and watches a speeding automobile zoom past him with the police right on his tail.

Continuing on his way, the teenager said to himself, 'I hope she still will consider me a friend after that spat we had.'

Ukyo's voice echoes in his head, 'What if I don't want to be a sister to you anymore? What if I wanted to be more than that?'

Remembering the last time he broke her heart, Ranma couldn't help but feel sorry for her: His father had just asked him which one he liked best: Ukyo or okonomiyaki. Telling his father he liked okonomiyaki more gave Genma a great idea. Instead of taking both Ukyo and her father's okonomiyaki cart as was their deal, Ranma's father steals the cart and with the boy in tow, leaves the girl in the dust.

Her voice rings in his head again, 'You have no idea how it feels!'

'I wish I did,' he thought, with a gloomy look on his face.

Finally making it back to the Tendo home, the teenager opens the front door and is greeted by Akane.

"Did you see her?" she asked.

"Yeah," he answered, unenthusiastically.

"Is something wrong?" wondered the girl, ushering him into the common room.

They sat down at the coffee table and he repeats, "Yeah."

"What's wrong then?" she asked.

"I talked to Ukyo and we ended up having an argument," he tells her, sounding gloomy.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Ranma," apologized Akane.

"It's not your fault, it's mine," he said.

"Why is it your fault?" she wondered.

"I said to her I thought of her as a sister and she told me she didn't want to be a sister," he replied, putting his head in his hands.

She started rubbing his back and says, "It's going to be okay."

"I hope so," responded Ranma, adding, "I don't even know if she still wants to be our friend or not."

"She'll let us know when she's ready to," Akane assured him.

Lifting his head up and looking around the room, he asks, "Where is everybody?"

"Dad is over at your parents house, Nabiki is at a friends and Kasumi went over to see Dr. Tofu," she answered.

"We're alone?" he wondered.

"Yeah. Come on, there's something I want to show you," she said, pulling him towards the kitchen.

Entering the kitchen, the teenager is swarmed with pleasant smells.

"What smells so good?" he asked, his attitude changed for the better.

Taking the lid off of one pot on the stove revealed white rice. The other pot had nicely prepared vegetables and various pieces of seafood simmering on a low flame.

"Kasumi made this?" he asked, sounding hopeful.

"No, well she helped," replied Akane.

"You made it?" he wondered with a surprised tone. He thought to himself, 'That explains why everybody left.'

"Yes I did. Both Kasumi and your mother are trying to teach me how to cook again. Each time I did something wrong like grab the wrong ingredient, they would gently correct me before I put it in the food," explained the girl.

"How's it taste?" he asked.

"I don't know, I wanted you to try it first," she answered.

The boy's smile faded very fast. Every time he has tried some of her cooking, he has always ended up being sick to his stomach.

She notices the look on his face and says, "It can't be that bad."

He thought to himself, 'She's right. After all, Kasumi and mom did help her make it.'

"Alright, I'll try it," replied Ranma.

"Good, go sit down and I'll bring it out to you," she told him.

Obeying her orders, the boy sat at the coffee table with two glasses of water and waited. She brought out two plates of food, placed one plate in front of him and took the other for herself. Not wasting any time, he dived right in. He grabbed a piece of shrimp and some rice with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. Almost immediately he pulled it right back out.

"Careful, it's hot," she reminds him as she sat down.

"Thanks," he says, after taking a mouthful of water.

Waiting a minute, he tries again with the same piece of shrimp.

"How is it?" asked Akane, sounding eager.

Swallowing what was in his mouth, he tells her, "It's better than I thought it would be," and continues eating.

Seeing him eat her cooking gave her all the approval she needed. She took a bite and was surprised herself by how good it tasted.

"Is there any more?" he wondered when he finished his plate.

"You can have as much as you want," answered the girl, smiling.

Ranma stood up and went into the kitchen for another plate of food. When the meal was over, the boy had three helpings and she had two and there was enough left for one more plate.

"Dinner was great. My compliments to the cook," said the boy, rinsing the plates.

"Thanks. Was it as good as Kasumi's cooking?" wondered Akane, loading the pots into the dishwasher.

"Close, but not quite there yet. A few more lessons and you'll be fine," he answered, putting the dishes in the dishwasher along with the pots.

"You think so?" she asked, sounding hopeful.

"I know so," he assured her, smiling at her.

"That's good, because I really want to be a good wife for you," said the girl, looking towards the floor.

He walked over to her, lifted her chin up and said, "I think you'll make a great wife someday."

"Thanks," she replied, smiling.

They stared into each other eyes as their faces moved closer and closer together. Their lips were about to touch when the front door opened.

"I'm home!" called Nabiki.

Backing away, Akane responds, "We're in the kitchen."

Peering in, the middle sister says, "I guess dinner was a success."

"Why is that?" asked Ranma

"Because Akane didn't burn the house down," she answered flatly.

"Hey!" cried the younger of the two girls.

"What? With the way you cook, I'm surprised to see Ranma is still standing," said Nabiki.

Akane knew her sister was right, but she didn't want to admit it. "Why don't you try some? There is some left if you want it," replied the little sister.

"I'll heat it up later. Right now I want to borrow Ranma for a minute," responded the older girl, pulling the boy into another room.

"What?" he wondered.

"I'm just letting you know I've got the people to watch Shampoo and Kodachi on Friday. They didn't have anything else planned that night so they agreed to help," she explained.

"Great. Have you booked the restaurant yet?" he asked.

"Not yet, I've gotten it narrowed down to two places. I'll let you know as soon as I decide which one," she told him.

Akane walked into the common room and called out towards the hallway, "What are you two talking about in there?"

"Nothing," said Ranma, before whispering to Nabiki, "Okay," then he walked away.

Entering the common room he says, "She wanted to know when I was going to make my next payment on your ring."

"Oh, okay," replied the girl, sitting down.

He sat next to her, while she turned on the television.

"A high-speed chase roared through downtown Nerima today. Thankfully it ended peacefully with the driver giving up without a fight," said the newscaster, "Turning over to weather, it looks like the next few days are going to be nice and clear all the way to the weekend. A high of seventy-five for tomorrow, Thursday looks to be in the mid seventies and Friday as well. Tonight will be mostly clear, lows in the fifties. Both Thursday and Friday nights look to be in the low to mid fifties. Coming up after the break: sports and a stock exchange update..."


	5. Weird Feelings

"So my child, have you come to a decision?" asked Cologne, balancing on her walking stick.

"Yes, great-grandmother, I decide to go along with your plan," answered Shampoo.

The two of them were standing in the kitchen of the Nekohanten before the restaurant was to open.

"Very good," said the old woman, "You realize that as an amazon you must try every tactic at your disposal. I know you pride yourself in your ability to fight, but sometimes drastic measures are needed to win."

"Shampoo understand and am willing to do anything to make Ranma my husband," replied the girl, heading for the swinging door that leads to the dining area.

"You know what you must do now," responded the old hag.

------------------------------------------------------------

Ukyo remained absent again. This concerned both Ranma and Akane. He thought she might be avoiding them because she is unable to accept the fact the two of them are together. They both agreed to go and see her when school let out.

Walking home, they took a little detour and headed for Uchan's. Looking through the restaurant's front window, they saw her working away the time sweeping the floor.

They entered and were greeted with a half-friendly, "Oh, hello."

Returning the hello, Akane came right out and asked, "Why weren't you in school again? Was it because of us being together?"

The other girl stopped sweeping to answer her, "I just didn't feel like going today."

Noticing the bandage on her elbow, the boy asked her, "What happened to your elbow?"

Looking down at the wound, she replies, "That I got yesterday. I was nearly hit by a car."

"A car?" he repeated, a shocked tone present in his voice.

"Yep. Luckily Ryoga saved me," she responded, smiling, "He came out of nowhere, grabbed me and pulled me to the side."

"Ryoga did that?" asked Akane, sounding surprised.

"Yeah, he did," said Ukyo, beginning to blush.

"Are you wearing one of his bandanas?" wondered Ranma, looking at the headband she was wearing.

"He showed up here this morning. I tried to give it back, but he said I could keep it.," she explained with a big grin, "You know, it's kind of funny, before he saved me he could say full sentences whenever he talked to me, but this morning he was fidgeting and stuttering, it was almost comical."

Smiling to himself, Ranma says, "Sounds to me like he has a new crush."

With a puzzled look, she asked, "What makes you say that?"

"That's how he acted whenever he was around Akane," replied the boy, "He was just too shy to tell her."

"He had a crush on me?" wondered his girlfriend, looking at him.

"A big one. Why else would he give you all those things from his travels," he pointed out to her.

"All that because he-. Are you serious?" she asked him, starting to turn red.

He nodded.

"That would explain the fruit basket he gave me this morning," said Ukyo, pointing to the item sitting behind the counter.

"And I think you have a crush on him too," added the boy, smiling some more.

"I do not!" she replied quickly, her face turning tomato red in color.

"Deny it if you want, I can see it in your face," he said, "And I think you two would make a cute couple."

"I do too," agreed Akane, smiling along with him.

"You really think so?" she asked, sounding hopeful.

"Yeah, I think you'd be great together," answered Ranma.

"Thanks," she said, looking down at the floor. Picking her head up, she puts down the broom and asks, "So, do you guys want anything?"

"No, I'm good," said the other girl.

"Ranma?" wondered Ukyo.

He told her, "A friendship."

"What was that?" she asked again, not sure she heard him right.

"I want us to be friends again," he repeated.

"Oh," she sighed, turning her gaze to the floor again, "I thought about that a little bit. I said to myself that you're an idiot for thinking we should be friends again."

The boy's smile faded when he heard that, "Then I guess we'll be going," and he started to turn to walk away.

"Wait," she replied, looking up and sighing again. She continued, "I also thought that I'm a bigger idiot for agreeing with you."

Just as quickly as it left, his smile came back.

"Friends?" he asked, holding out his hand.

"Friends," she answered, smiling as well, accepting the handshake.

"Will we see you in school tomorrow?" wondered Akane.

"I'll be there," she told them.

Heading for the door they say goodbye.

"See you later," said Ukyo, waving to them.

"Good luck with Ryoga," called Ranma, "I don't know when he'll be back, but I'm sure it'll be sooner than you think."

------------------------------------------------------------

"That's two down," said Akane, walking down the street, hand in hand with Ranma.

"And only Shampoo remains," he pointed out, finishing the sentence for her.

"Right. She's going to be the hardest one of them all. It looks like a fight will be the only way to stop her pursuit of you," she explained.

He stopped walking and she stopped as well.

She turned towards him and asked, "Why did you stop?"

"You don't have to fight her if you don't want to. I mean, I don't want to see you get hurt. I'll fight her instead," he replied, sounding sincere.

She said, "That's sweet of you to say, but I'm going to fight her. She needs to know that I'm willing to stand up for myself and for what is rightfully mine," and she pulled him forward.

He knew that once Akane's mind was made up, not a lot of things can change it. Making their way for the front door, the couple see Kasumi waiting for them with a gloomy look on her usually happy face.

Her sister asked, "What's wrong?"

"I found this stuck in the tree by your window. It's addressed to you," she replied, handing over the item.

It was an arrow with a note attached.

Removing the letter, Akane opened it and read it.

"It's from Shampoo. She's challenging me to a fight tomorrow after school. It says, 'We will decide which one of us is fit to marry Ranma.'," said the girl.

"You did say you wanted to fight her," answered the boy.

"Yeah, I did, but not that soon," she pointed out.

"Don't worry, I'll help you train," he responded, taking the note, "When I'm done, you'll be ready."

------------------------------------------------------------

Breathing heavily, Akane was nearly out of energy. Ranma was also low on stamina.

Wiping the sweat from her forehead, she says, "This is what I call training."

They have been working out in the dojo for three straight hours without a break.

"I told you I'd help you train," he replied, "I'm just surprised you got a couple of good hits in. You've obviously gotten faster and stronger too." He began to rub the side of his chin and added, "That one punch to my jaw still hurts a little."

Kasumi entered the dojo carrying a tray with two glasses on it.

"I brought you two some lemonade and came to tell you that dinner is almost ready," she reported.

Putting the tray down, the eldest Tendo daughter returned to the kitchen.

"Let us take a rest," said Ranma, moving over to and sitting down next to the tray.

Not having to be told twice, Akane joins him.

Sipping on the lemonade, she asks, "Do you think I'm ready to fight Shampoo?"

"Mastering the Fierce Tiger Shot would help," answered the boy, "But I'm sure it'll be a good battle between two very powerful people."

Looking over at her, he notices she has a despairing look on her face.

"What's the matter? Did I say something wrong?" he wondered.

Placing the half-full glass back on the tray, she told him with her gaze pointed down, sounding doubtful, "I'm not sure I can win tomorrow. Shampoo's been training and fighting most of her life. Hell, fighting _is _her way of life. I don't know if I can compete with that."

Putting his glass on the tray, the boy stands up and steps in front of Akane.

"Come on," he says and helps her to her feet, "You've trained most of your life, too. Think of it this way: anyone can be beaten on any given day. Get rid of the negative thoughts and think positively for a change," and he gets in a battle position.

Charging forward, she tries to land a punch. Instead of dodging the ongoing attacks, Ranma blocks each one as they came.

"Do you think I'll win?" she asked, sending a Forward Kick his way.

"Yes, I think you can, but what I think doesn't matter. What matters is you have to _believe_ you can win," he replied, stopping the attack with a low Crossblock.

She immediately launched a Straight Right Punch, only to have him tilt his head to the side, letting the attack sail by. Her next attempt was to sweep his feet out from under him, but the boy jumped over the sliding foot. From her kneeling position she quickly dashed forward, catching him off guard with a light Shoulder Spear, putting him on the ground and she fell on top of him.

Laughing, he says, "You did that on purpose."

Akane gave him a tiny peck on the lips and replied, "Yes I did," and then she punched him in the kidney.

Groaning slightly, he responds, "That wasn't fair."

"So? What are you going to do about it?" she wondered, poking him in the ribs.

"This," he answers, tickling her stomach.

"Stop that!" she giggled, while he rolled over on top of her.

Sitting up, he continued his assault on her mid-section saying, "Say 'uncle'."

She tried to stop him by pushing his hands away and kicking him wildly in the arms and chest.

Squirming around under his attack, she replies between laughing and breathing, "Okay! I give! I give!"

At once he halted on command. Laying on the ground, she kicks him one more time.

She tells him, while gasping for air, "Very funny, Ranma."

"What? At least I got you to smile," he pointed out, looking at the big grin she had on.

"Thanks," she said.

Standing up, he helps her to her feet again.

Holding her hands, he adds, "Anytime," and then he releases them.

Kasumi came back into the dojo and said, "Dinner is ready you two, go wash up."

She left the couple and went back to the kitchen again.

After cleaning up, they sat down at the coffee table in the common room to plates of food already waiting.

Before they could start, Soun asked, "Have you accepted yet?"

"Not yet," she answered, replying with a sigh, "I told you I'll let you know."

"Hurry up and accept. We have most of the planning done, we're waiting on you two," he told them.

"I've been meaning to ask, how many people were you planning on inviting this time?" wondered his youngest daughter.

He responded, "A few."

"How many, daddy?" she repeated, sternly.

Laughing nervously, he said, "A hundred."

"Why couldn't you make it a small wedding with only our immediate family and friends?" she asked in a complaining tone of voice..

"Saotome wanted three hundred, but Nodoka persuaded him to drop it down to a hundred," explained her father.

"But still, that's a lot of people, daddy," she pointed out.

"How many do you think we should invite?" he wondered.

"How about thirty?" answered Ranma, putting his two cents in.

"Yeah, thirty sounds good," she agreed, looking back and forth between the two males.

"But it's your big day, we should invite as many people as we can," argued the old man.

Nabiki steps in and tells Soun, "Don't forget: the more people you invite, the more it'll cost you. Remember, the bride's family pays for the wedding."

"As I was saying, thirty people should be enough," he replied, shoving food in his mouth.

"Thank you, daddy," said Akane sweetly, turning her attention to her plate.

------------------------------------------------------------

When dinner was over, the two teenagers went back to the dojo for a few more hours of training. Afterwards, they each took separate baths and went to their individual rooms for the night.

Slipping on her new nightgown, Akane was sore from training and was ready for a good night's rest. Before she climbed into bed, she heard a faint squealing sound. Looking under her bed she found P-chan hiding underneath.

"There you are. Come on out," she says, reaching for him.

He allowed himself to be caught and snuggled, hardly putting up a fight. The pig had a look of despairing regret on his face, as if he didn't want to be there at that particular point in time.

"Where have you been?" she asked, holding the little black piglet close.

All she got out of him was his common response: "Bwee."

"Ready for bed?" she wondered, putting the pig on her bed.

Almost immediately he jumped down to the floor. She picked him up and placed him on the bed again. Once more, he jumped off the bed and onto the floor in an almost insistant kind of way.

"Don't you want to sleep with me?" she asked, confused by the piglet's actions.

P-chan answered her by shaking his head 'No'.

'That's weird. I thought he liked sleeping with me,' she said to herself.

Knowing she shouldn't force her pet to do something it doesn't want to do, Akane lays one of her pillows on the carpet for it to be a make-shift bed for the little guy.

He crawled onto the pillow and squealed, "Bwee," as if to say, 'Thank you.'.

"Goodnight, P-chan," she replies, pulling the covers over her chest.

Staring at nothing, she says to herself, 'I hope you're right about tomorrow, Ranma,' and then she closes her eyes.


	6. Cat Fight

"Come on, Akane, your breakfast is getting cold!" said Nabiki, calling up the stairs.

"I'll be down in a minute!" answered her sister.

Walking back into the common room, the middle sister says, "I have no idea why she is taking so long," talking to Ranma while he ate.

"Before I forget, here," she remembered, handing him a note, "That's the address of the restaurant for Friday. The reservation is set and everything's ready to go."

"Thanks," replied the boy, sticking the note in his pocket without looking at it.

------------------------------------------------------------

Akane was standing in front of her mirror trying to figure out how to hide the belt.

"If I put it on over my uniform everyone will know I have it and Ranma would ask about it," she said to herself outloud.

She holds the belt around her mid-section, still thinking she can't win the fight against Shampoo.

"Maybe I should put it on first, underneath my uniform," she said, talking to nobody in particular, placing the belt on her bed and slipping on her blouse.

She picked the belt back up and wrapped it around her waist again. The rush of power she felt after fastening the last button was invigorating.

"What?" asked the girl, talking to her pet piglet.

P-chan often watched her dress in the morning, but he wasn't really concerned with looking at her on this day. Only after hearing what the girl said did it intrigue him. He looked up at her as if to say, "What are you doing?"

"I need this to win my battle against Shampoo later today, because if I lose this fight, I'll lose Ranma and I can't afford to lose," she explained, putting on her dress.

Looking at her waist, she notices the slight bulge the belt made around her mid-section.

"Can you see it?" she asked the pig, after buttoning up the skirt.

He tilted his head to the side as to say, "Kind of."

Slipping on her overcoat, she says out loud, "That'll have to do," grabs her bag and leaves P-chan alone in her room, heading downstairs.

------------------------------------------------------------

"About time you show up," complained Nabiki, watching her sister sit down to eat her cold breakfast, "What took so long?"

"P-chan wouldn't give me my sock back. I had to wrestle it away from him," lied Akane.

'That doesn't sound like something Ryoga would do,' thought Ranma. He asks, "Are you sure you want to stick with that story?"

"Why?" she wondered.

"Because I thought P-chan wasn't the playful type," answered the boy.

"I guess you thought wrong," she snapped.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to upset you," he apologized.

"I know and I'm sorry for snapping at you, it's just that I have a lot on my mind right now," said the girl.

"The fight, right? Listen, don't worry so much you'll do fine. I have complete confidence in you," replied Ranma, standing up.

She gave him a warm smile and said, "Thanks."

"I hate to break up this lovefest," butted in Nabiki, standing at the door, "But we're going to be late."

Finishing her food and then slipping on her shoes, Akane joined them and headed out the door.

------------------------------------------------------------

There was a gentle breeze blowing through the schoolyard as the two girls faced off.

Shampoo's long purple hair danced in the wind while she spoke, "Didn't think violent tomboy would show."

With her skirt billowing in the air, Akane says, "I never back down from a challenge."

A large crowd of students gathered on a hillside nearby like they always did whenever Ranma would have a fight, except this time he was in along with the crowd.

"Place your bets! A thousand yen a piece!" called Nabiki, moving from person to person, making wagers on who would win.

"Ready?" asked the amazon, getting into her battle stance.

"I thought you'd never ask," replied her opponent, running towards her.

With a speed nearly matching Ranma's, Akane cocked back her fist. A face full of shock, Shampoo was barely able to sidestep the attack.

She says, "Got better I see," and backed away.

"A lot more than you realize," answered her opponent, charging forward again.

'Something's different. Akane may have gotten faster, but she wasn't nearly this fast last night,' thought the boy, watching the fight unfolded.

Akane tried another punch only to have her opponent duck down at the last instant and trip her up. Falling to the ground, she placed her extended hand out and did a one-handed handstand. She quickly took both feet and forcibly planted them, stood up and looked around for Shampoo.

The Chinese girl was behind her opponent and tried to surprise her with a Straight Right Punch. Sensing the attack, Akane countered with a mule-like kick, connecting with her opponent's mid-section. Backing away, the amazon clutched her stomach.

Turning around, Akane saw Shampoo go on the offensive with another punch. She ducked down to avoid the fist and capitalized by planting her elbow into her opponent's gut. She quickly combined the elbow with a rising Uppercut Kick to her rival's jaw, making Shampoo airborne.

'This is easier than I thought,' she said to herself as the amazon landed hard on the ground.

Shampoo was slow to get up. When Akane saw what her opponent was doing, it made no sense to her. Shampoo had tears flowing down her cheeks.

'Why is she crying?' wondered the girl.

The crowd noticed it too. People in the crowd began making assumptions, "Is she going to give up?" asked one of the students.

"Maybe Akane is too strong for this to be a fair fight?" said another student.

Ranma however was suspicious, 'Shampoo's better than that. She's up to something.'

"Hello, son-in-law," said Cologne, surprising the boy with her presence.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I came to watch the fight," she replied.

As if she was ignoring the murmuring crowd, Shampoo charged forward, cocking back her fist. The attack failed, because Akane ducked down again and countered with a Shoulder Spear to the amazon's stomach, hitting an already tender area, pushing her back. Falling to one knee, Shampoo started sobbing to go along with her continuously flowing tears.

"Maybe you should give up," said Akane, concern present in her voice.

"No!" shouted the amazon, "Shampoo rather die than give up husband!" and then she got back on her feet.

The boy turned towards the elderly woman and asks, "Spill it. Why is she acting so weak?"

"What makes you think it's an act? Maybe it's because she _is _weaker than her opponent," answered Cologne.

Running towards the Japanese girl, Shampoo tried to punch her again. Akane blocked it by grabbing the amazon's wrist, stopping it dead. Then using her free hand, Akane punched Shampoo in the kidney and released her hold on her rival's wrist. The amazon fell to her knees and began having a total breakdown.

"It's over, Shampoo. I don't want to hurt you anymore," said Akane, backing away.

"I no quit!" screamed her opponent, "Finish if have to!"

"It's painful isn't it? Watching a clearly one-sided fight?" asked the old hag.

A bolt of lightning goes off in the boy's head, 'That's it!' he says to himself.

"If you won't quit, Then I-" started Akane.

"Don't!" he shouts at the top of his lungs.

Turning her attention to the sidelines, the girl asks, "Don't what?"

"Don't forfeit because you don't want to hurt her anymore, that's what she is counting on. She wants you to quit so she can claim that she won the match and not you," explained the boy.

Looking back at Shampoo, she notices the amazon had stopped crying and was back to her feet.

"Is that true?" asked Akane.

"What you think? That plan until husband reveal it," replied her rival.

"Here I was feeling sorry for you," said the girl, anger rising.

"I no need your pity," snapped Shampoo.

"Was your challenge fake, or do you really want to fight me?" wondered Akane.

"At first it was, but after seeing how much better you fight, Shampoo want it to go on," answered the amazon, charging forward.

Jumping into the air, Shampoo tried a Flying Kick aimed at her enemy's face that her opponent blocked with a Crossblock.

"You'll have to do better than that," said Akane with a smug smile.

"How this?" responded the Chinese girl.

Shampoo's bent leg shot out and hit Akane where the neck meets the shoulder. She then springboarded off the girl's arms and landed facing her opponent.

Staggering back, Akane then rushed forward with a punch targeting her opponent's sternum. To avoid the attack, the amazon leaped high into the air. Her opponent stopped running and looked up as she reached the height of her jump. With both feet together, Shampoo was going to try and land on top of Akane.

"That won't work," said the girl, backing away.

Her opponent landed with both feet planted and in one fluid motion, Shampoo bent her knees and used the ground as a launching pad, sending herself at Akane with her fist extended. The amazon's punch connected with the girl's cheek, sending her backwards a few feet. Managing to stay on her feet, Akane put her hand on her cheek, feeling the spot the punch hit.

With anger continuing to rise, the girl rushed forward, aiming her next attack at Shampoo's head. The amazon lowered herself to the ground early and tried sweeping the girl's feet out from under her as she approached. Seeing the move coming, Akane hopped over the leg and redirected her punch. Shampoo quickly reversed the sweep, lifting her leg up and catching Akane behind the knee with it, forcing the girl to hit the back of her head with the ground.

Rolling over slowly, Akane began to get up. Shampoo stopped her with a Guillotine Kick to the back of her neck, putting her on the ground again.

"Stay down," said the amazon, turning and walking away.

Before she got far, Akane replied, "No," and began to get up again.

Shampoo hit the rising girl with a low Spinning Heel Kick to the neck, dropping Akane to the ground once more.

"No fair! Let her get up before you hit her!" yelled Ranma.

People in the crowd agreed with him, "Yeah! Let her up!"; "Make it a fair fight!"

"Have it your way, Shampoo wait," answered the purple-haired amazon.

Akane finally got back to her feet and saw Shampoo standing still. Reacting on instinct, the girl charged forward with another attempt. Before her attack reached, Shampoo jumped over her, twisting one hundred eighty degrees in the air. She extended both legs out and landed both heels into each side of her opponent's neck, pushing her enemy into the dirt. The Chinese girl used her hands to catch herself before she hit the ground.

Standing up, the amazon said, "Maybe Shampoo wrong, violent tomboy isn't better, just lucky."

She grabbed Akane by the hair, lifting her onto her knees. "I end your misery," said Shampoo, pulling her free hand back.

"I'll show you I have gotten better," replied her opponent.

Akane quickly twisted herself around in the other girl's grip until she was facing the amazon, pushed both hands forward and shouted, "Moko Takabisha!" aiming the attack at her opponent's mid-section.

The Fierce Tiger Shot sent Shampoo head over heels a few feet ending up face down.

"She did it!" exclaimed Ranma.

'This is bad,' thought Cologne, 'If she knows son-in-law's ki attack, Shampoo can't win this battle.'

Raising herself off the ground with her hands, she asked, "Where you learn that?"

"Ranma taught it to me," answered Akane, walking over to her opponent. "Do you give up?" wondered the girl, standing over the amazon.

"I said, I no give up and I meant it!" screamed Shampoo, getting back to her feet.

She immediately attacked with a Right Hook that her opponent leaned back to avoid. She then tried a Left Roundhouse Kick that was blocked. The Japanese girl countered with her own Right Punch to the stomach and Shampoo didn't bother to block or dodge the attack. Akane then combined it with her own Roundhouse Kick to the amazon's head, putting her on the ground.

"Give up?" asked the girl.

"No!" was Shampoo's response, rising off the ground with an Uppercut attempt.

She missed because her opponent leaned back again to avoid the punch. Akane then pushed her hands forward and said, "I'm sorry. Moko Takabisha!" hitting Shampoo with another Fierce Tiger Shot sending her reeling head over heels once more.

This time though the amazon wasn't getting up.

"Looks like I win," stated Akane, putting her hands down and falling to her knees.

Cologne walked over to her granddaughter and said, "You put up a good fight. There won't be any shame from this loss."

She then lifted her up onto her shoulders and dragged her back to the Nekohanten. The crowd started clapping, congratulating Akane for the spectacular battle. Ranma went over to her and helped her to her feet. She put one arm around him and used the boy as a crutch.

"I knew you could do it," he told her.

"I have you to thank," said the girl, "If you hadn't stopped me when you did, I would have looked like a fool for falling for her act."

The crowd of students began to disperse as the couple joined Nabiki at the entrance to the school after the older sister collected her winnings.

"Let's go home," says the boy.

------------------------------------------------------------

Nabiki continued walking home counting her take, while Ranma and Akane stopped by Dr. Tofu's clinic to get the girl examined. His conclusion was, although she was going to have a sore neck tomorrow, she was going to be fine. The doctor recommended she take a soothing bath tonight and try not to do any strenuous activities. He was glad to see the two teenagers were finally getting along. After resting for a little bit at the clinic, Akane was able to walk again unassisted. They said their goodbyes to the doctor and continued on their way home.

Walking down the street hand in hand with their fingers interlocked, Ranma says, "While I was watching you fight, something kept bugging me."

"Like what?" she asked, looking at him.

"It was about the way you were moving. You seemed to be moving faster than you were last night," he explained, keeping his gaze straight ahead.

"Last night was only training. I wasn't going all out because it was practice," replied the girl.

"Still, I can't quite put my finger on it, but I feel as though I've seen you at that speed before. I can't remember where though," said the boy, placing a finger on his cheek, trying to recollect on the thought.

"Could it be from the Prince's Challenge when I fought against you?" Akane wondered.

"Now that you mention it, you're right. But you were wearing a battle armor at that time," responded Ranma, looking into her eyes, "You're not wearing one now."

Sighing, she turns her gaze towards the ground and tells him, "You're half right."

"What do you mean?" he asked, bending his head low to look her in the face.

"You remember the package the Prince handed me before we left?" she replied.

"Yeah," he agreed, not liking where this was going.

"Well, in that package was a leather belt that was made from that armor. There was a note that came along with it. The note explained that the loyalty spell on it wouldn't work anymore, but the other spells did. The belt's the reason I won. I wore it because I was afraid I wouldn't have been able to beat Shampoo without it," she confessed, bring her eyes back up to his eye level.

"You cheated?" wondered the boy, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," she said, sheepishly bowing her head again.

"I won't tell anyone if you don't," he replied with a smile, returning his gaze forward.

"You're not mad?" asked Akane, sounding surprised, raising her head.

"More disappointed than angry. I had really thought you had gotten stronger on your own without any help," he answered, glancing at her from the side.

"Sorry," she apologized, bowing her head once more.

"Don't be," he pointed out, lifting her chin up with his free hand, "All that matters now is you won the fight, even if it was with some assistance and you know what that means."

"What's that?" she wondered, gazing into his eyes.

"I'm all yours," said Ranma giving her his cocky half-smile.

"Yeah and I plan on keeping it that way," she giggled, putting her head on his shoulder and leaning against him as they reached the Tendo residence.


	7. The Picture Perfect Date

Ranma was in the common room of the Tendo household dressed in the most formal thing he had: an army green Chinese military uniform and a cap with a single red star on it to match. The boy was pacing back and forth, wringing his hands together. In the common room with him was Kasumi, Nabiki and the two girl's father, Soun.

"Relax," said the man.

"Yeah, your making me dizzy," added the middle sister.

Ranma had a good reason to be nervous. Even though he has been on dates before, they were over trivial things. Whether the date was for a false cure for his curse, or if it was to get a girl; who turned out to be a cross-dressing guy; to like guys, there is one difference separating those dates from this one. This particular date was a serious one between two people who truly love each other.

"Maybe I should go and see what is taking Akane so long," said Kasumi, getting up to leave.

The boy stopped and watched her go up the stairs and then he went back to pacing.

"You're going to worry yourself sick if you keep it up," Soun told the boy.

But the advice fell in deaf ears.

"Just try to have a good time at the restaurant tonight," Nabiki added.

Ranma stopped again and turned his attention to her.

"That reminds me," he says, pulling a note from his pocket, "I've been meaning to ask you if this was some cruel joke you're trying to pull?"

"Whatever do you mean?" she replied, trying to sound innocent.

"I know I should've read the note when you handed it to me, but I didn't because I thought I could trust you to pick a nice restaurant we would enjoy," he explained.

"I thought I did," answered the middle sister.

"You wrote Uchan's as your choice. I mean I could've done that!" he tells her.

"I called her place to make the reservations and she agreed to help you out," she pointed out.

"Do I dare ask you what the other choice was," he said.

"The other one was the Nekohanten," she responded.

"Now you're joking, you couldn't have been seriously thinking about Shampoo's place, could you?" he asked.

"I was," replied Nabiki, "I had no doubt Akane was going to win her fight against Shampoo and I thought about having your date there just to rub it in."

"We don't know how she would react to us being there. What if she tries some underhanded tactic or if she gave Akane the 'Kiss of Death' and tried to hurt her. Do you want that on your conscious?" wondered Ranma.

"No I don't, that's why I chose Uchan's. I know of Shampoo's Amazonian laws and put that information in my decision in the first place," she snapped.

Kasumi hurried down the stairs and said, "Here she comes," and stepped aside.

The boy waited with baited breath as she came down. She stopped and stood in the doorway to the common room wearing an elegant blue dress, cut just below the knees with a white sash wrapped around her waist.

Soun began to cry tears of joy, "You look so grown up!"

"You look great," said Ranma, awestruck.

"Thanks," she replied, "You look nice too."

He glances at the girl's father. "Let's go, before he decides to take a picture," he tells her, walking over to her.

He reaches for her hand when a flash goes off. He turns around and sees Nabiki holding a camera.

"Way ahead of you, Ranma," she says, laughing.

The couple chuckle and head for the front door. The boy grabs the doorknob only to hear knocking come from the other side. Opening the door he is face to face with his parents.

"Mom, dad, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"We wanted to catch you two before you left," replied Genma.

"You look so handsome," said Nodoka, giving her son a hug. "And you're looking lovely, Akane," she continued, giving the girl a hug too.

"Thanks, Mrs. Saotome," answered the girl, accepting the gesture.

"I guess we should get going," responded Ranma, holding the door open for his date.

"Have fun, you kids!" called the boy's father, waving goodbye to the young couple.

------------------------------------------------------------

"Where are we going for dinner?" asked Akane, walking down the street, hand in hand.

"Oh, I thought we'd go to Uchan's, if it's okay with you?" Ranma replied.

"Uchan's sounds good as long as nobody tries to ruin our date," said the girl.

They made their way over to the restaurant in a nervous silence. Opening and holding the door for her, the couple enter and are greeted by Ukyo.

"Good evening. Your table is right over here," she says, showing them to the only table in the place, set at one corner of the dining area.

Two chairs were sitting around it and there was a card laying on the table with the word 'reserved' on it. There was also a single white candle sitting in the middle of the small table, to help with the mood.

Doing the gentlemanly thing, Ranma pulled out a chair for Akane and scooted it in after she sat down. Business looked a little slow, because they were the only customers there at the time.

Lighting the candle, Ukyo asks, "What will you be ordering tonight?"

"I guess we'll have two of your best yaki," said the boy.

His date nodded her head to show she agreed with him.

"Sure thing, Ranchan. It'll be a few minutes," replied his friend.

She went behind the cooking counter and began to fill out the order.

"This is a nice little setup she did, isn't it?" he asked.

"Yeah it is," agreed Akane.

Before they could say another thing, the door opens up and his two friends Daisuke and Hiroshi entered. They see the couple sitting in the corner, grab two stools and sit with them.

"This is new," said Daisuke.

"Yeah, what are you two doing here like this? You're not on a date, are you?" asked Hiroshi.

Ranma nodded and told them, "We are and it's kind of a private date."

"Oh, then we'll leave you two alone then, come on Hiroshi," said the boy's friend. They put the stools back where they belonged and sat down at the bar.

Returning to their conversation, Akane says, "Still, I can't believe Ukyo did this for us."

"I know, it's like she has completely gotten over the fact that we're together," agreed the boy.

"Not completely, just look," responded the girl, pointing.

He glanced at the bar in time to see his friend jerk her attention back to their order.

"I think there is still some feelings left, she's just repressing them," replied Akane.

"Maybe one of us should talk to her?" he wondered.

Before he could volunteer, the girl says, "I'll do it."

"Why you?" asked Ranma.

"Because what she is going through right now, I've already dealt with it once," she explained.

It was around this time Ukyo brought the couple their order.

"Here you go, " she says, placing the plates in front of them along with two glasses of water. She adds, "If you need anything else I'll be right over there," and walks back behind the bar.

The okonomiyaki they ordered was topped off with an egg, two slices of pork and had been dusted with tempura flakes and shredded cabbage.

"It looks good," said Akane, picking up a piece of the yaki and some egg with her chopsticks.

Ranma however had something on his mind.

"What did you mean by 'you've already dealt with it once'?" wondered the boy.

Swallowing the food in her mouth, she replies, "The mixed emotions, I've been through them one time before."

While she elaborated, he ate. "Before you came along I had a crush on Dr. Tofu. But since he had a crush on Kasumi, my feelings weren't acknowledged. I was happy for her, but at the same time I was sad for myself. I still had feelings for him although I knew the feeling wasn't mutual. That is what Ukyo is going through, she has feelings for you even though she knows those feelings aren't returned. It might be better if she heard it from someone who has experienced the pain of loving someone that didn't love them in return."

"Maybe it would be better if you talked to her," agreed Ranma, not really understanding all she said.

------------------------------------------------------------

When they finished their meal, they thanked Ukyo for everything she did and paid her for the dinner. Leaving Uchan's, the couple joined in with the bustling nightlife.

"Do you want to go home?" asked Ranma.

"Not yet, let's walk around for a little bit," she replied, looking down the street.

They strolled down the sidewalk absorbing the sights before them. Standing in the middle of the bridge they gazed at the moon's reflection in the river as the waves made the image dance along the moving water. They made their way to an ice cream parlor for some dessert. He ordered a root beer float, while she had a hot fudge sundae. After that they stopped at a flower stand where Ranma bought a dozen red roses.

"Beautiful flowers for a beautiful lady," he says, handing them to her.

She thanked him and gave them a sniff. "They're lovely," said Akane, smiling.

Walking arm in arm, they watched as other couples went up and down the street, stopping at the various stores along the way. When they returned home, neither one of them wanted the night to end. They stood in silence on the front step of the Tendo household for a few minutes. Akane was the first to act.

"I had a wonderful time tonight," she said, gazing into his eyes.

"I'm glad you did, I had a great time too. We should do this again some time," replied the boy.

"Are you asking me out on another date?" wondered the girl.

"Maybe, I don't know yet," answered Ranma.

"If you are, I'd love to go on another date," said Akane, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Their lips came together in passionate fashion. After a few seconds they parted only to embrace each other again with another kiss. When they finished their display of love, the boy opens the front door for her to enter. Following her inside, he shuts the door with a click. The house was eerily quiet until a noise came from the common room. Standing in the doorway between the foyer and the living room the couple find Kasumi and Soun watching the news.

"Welcome back, how was the date?" asked the eldest daughter, standing up.

"We had a wonderful time," replied her sister, handing over the roses.

"I'll go put these in a vase," said Kasumi, heading for the kitchen.

"I didn't expect to see you so soon. It's not even ten o'clock yet," said Soun.

"If you like we could go back out to the porch for another hour," answered Ranma.

"No, no need," responded the girl's father.

"Where's Nabiki?" wondered the youngest daughter.

"I believe she is up in her room," the oldest sister called from the kitchen.

"I don't know about you two, but I'm going upstairs," said the little sister.

She leaned closer to the boy and whispers, "Meet me on the roof in an hour."

"Okay," replied the teen.

Akane then went up the stairs to her room. Waiting a few minutes, Ranma followed her up. He knocks on Nabiki's door.

"Enter at your own risk," said the middle sister thru the closed door.

Shutting the door behind him, she greets him.

"Home already, I see. How did it go?" she asked.

"She had a great time, thanks for the help," replied the boy.

"It was nothing, I'd be glad to do it again for a small fee," answered the girl.

"I think I'll pass on that offer," said Ranma.

"Your loss," responded Nabiki.

"I guess you should call your friends and tell them to stop watching Shampoo and Kodachi," he reminded her.

"What? Oh, right," she remembered.

"Is that all?" she asked.

"Yeah, thanks again," he replied, reaching for her doorknob.

"Remember don't mention my act of kindness to anyone, got it?" she told him.

"Got it," said the boy, closing her door again.

"Maybe I should have told him nobody was watching Shampoo and Kodachi? Oh, well," said Nabiki, getting back to what she was doing.

------------------------------------------------------------

Sitting on the roof's edge with her legs dangling over, Akane was no longer in her dress, but was instead wearing a white shirt and jeans. She sat there waiting for Ranma to show up. Climbing onto the roof, the boy had on his red shirt and black pants.

"I'm here, why did you want to meet?" he asked.

Standing up, the girl walked over to him.

"Remember when I said there were a few things I wanted to do before I accepted your proposal?" she wondered.

"Yeah, what were those things?" he replied.

"One was to get the other girls out of the way," she told him.

"You did that. Anything else?" asked Ranma.

Akane reached into her pocket and pulled out the black felt box. She held it out for him to take.

"The last thing I wanted was to go a date with you. One date without anybody else messing it up," she answered, handing the box over.

"You're saying 'yes'?" he asked.

"Mm-hm," she nodded, holding out her hand.

The boy removed the gold ring from the box and with his hand shaking, he placed it on her finger. It was a perfect fit. The six diamonds and one ruby glistened in the night. The two teenagers wrapped their arms around one another and emphasized their joy with a quick kiss.

"When are you going to tell your dad?" asked Ranma.

"I'll tell him in the morning," responded Akane, placing her head onto his shoulder.

The couple stood there in silence for a few minutes in each other's embrace.

"I'm so happy," said the girl, beginning to cry.

"Me too," agreed the boy, rubbing her back.


	8. Realizing the Truth Or Denying it

Walking past the stairs the next morning, Ranma felt as if a huge burden had been lifted off his shoulders. He no longer had to worry about when Akane was going to accept his proposal, now that she agreed to the engagement last night. In two and a half months the two teenagers were going to be married. All that remained was to get rid of the suitors still longing for the both of them. Even though Akane disposed of Shampoo and Kodachi, it remains to be seen if either one of them will give up on Ranma. Entering the common room, the boy says good morning to both Kasumi and Nabiki.

Looking around, he asks, "Where's your father?"

"After Akane told him the good news, he rushed out of the house in a hurry," answered the eldest sister.

"Do you know where he went?" wondered the boy.

"I think he went to tell your parents the news in person," replied the middle sister.

"Where's Akane?" he asked.

"You're just full of questions, aren't you?" said Nabiki, "She's in the dojo, by the way."

He thanked her and walked out onto the deck surrounding the outside of the house. He made his way to the front of the dojo and slid the door open. Inside was Akane, dressed in her karate gi, going thru various motions. She smiled at Ranma as he walked in.

"Good morning," said the boy.

"Morning," she replied, pushing her hands forward.

"Trying to produce a Fierce Tiger Shot, are you?" he asked.

"Yeah, but I can't seem to focus on the feeling it gives off," she explained, dropping her hands.

"Here, let me help," he responds, walking over to her.

He stands behind her and presses his body against her's. She takes comfort from the warmth his body produces. She allows him to move her arms and hands along with his. The feeling of his breath in her hair made the girl's smile wider.

"Ready?' asked the teen, pushing both pairs of hands forward.

"Yes," she answered, closing her eyes, preparing herself for the rush.

He begins to release the stored up confidence energy.

"There they are!" shouted Genma, causing the two teenagers to separate, "They're in here!" he called, entering the dojo.

A minute later, Soun and Nodoka follow him in.

"What are you two doing here?" the boy asked his parents.

"We're here to celebrate," answered his mother, hugging both teens.

"We were kind of **_busy_** here at the moment," said Ranma, emphasizing the most important word in the sentence.

"Nonsense, boy. Nobody's ever too busy to celebrate," argued his father, slapping him on the back, "Whatever it was can wait. There are other things that need to be discussed."

"Come, join us in the common room. As Saotome said, there are matters that need to be dealt with," agreed the girl's father, ushering the two kids out of the dojo.

------------------------------------------------------------

"What's so important that you needed to pull us away from a training exercise?" wondered Ranma, sitting down in the common room.

Akane sat down next to him while Genma and Nodoka sat opposite of them. Nabiki and Kasumi were there as well. Soun on the other hand had gone into another room. When he came back he had a small box in his hands.

"We were in such a hurry to marry you two off last time, we didn't have much time to prepare. But seeing we now have enough time, I feel it is only right I should hand these over. Akane's mother wore these on our wedding day. I know she would've wanted her daughter to wear them on her's," said the man, opening the box.

Inside were two pearl earrings. He handed the box over to her.

"They're lovely, of course I'll wear them," said his youngest, accepting the gift.

"You can borrow my pair of white heels again," added Nabiki.

Akane thanked everyone for the gifts.

"Almost forgot," remembered Nodoka, pulling her own box out of her kimono, "This is also for you to wear on your wedding day," and she handed over the rectangular box.

The girl opened it and replied, "It's gorgeous, thank you," and she showed everybody what it was.

It was a sapphire pendant on the end of a silver necklace.

"Where did you get that?" asked Genma, looking at the necklace.

"Don't you remember? I wore it for our wedding," answered his wife, "I kept it hidden, so I wouldn't have to worry about you pawning it for cash."

The old man chuckled nervously. The girl again thanked everyone for the gifts.

Soun cleared his throat, "There is one last thing we need to ask."

"What?" wondered Ranma, rolling his eyes.

"Have you decided on who was going to be your Best Man and Maid of Honor?" asked the girl's father.

The two teens looked at each other before answering.

"I guess I could ask Daisuke and Hiroshi if they want the job," replied the boy.

"And I could ask if either Sayuri or Yuka would do it, unless Nabiki or Kasumi want it," said Akane, directing her response towards her sisters.

"You won't catch me up there, no way," responded the middle sister, shaking her head.

"I wouldn't want to get in the way," added the oldest of the three girls.

"Alright then, you let us know your choices so we can set up a date for everyone to be fitted for suits and dresses," said Soun, "And I believe that's everything."

"I've got a question," interrupted the boy, "Who's sending out the invitations this time and who is being invited?"

"I am," replied Nabiki, "Why, is there someone you'd like to invite?"

"There are some people we want excluded this time," answered the boy.

"Who?" wondered the middle sister.

"Let's see, there's Shampoo and her family; Mousse included; Happosai and the Kuno family right off the top of my head," said Ranma, in a mocked thinking tone, index finger on his chin.

"Why?" asked Nabiki as if she didn't know the answer already.

"We don't want what happened last time to happen again," responded Akane, "So please don't invite them."

"Okay," agreed the middle sister, sighing.

"As to the other part of your question, we're inviting some of your classmates, your teacher and Dr. Tofu will receive one as well. That should be enough people, don't want to overcrowd the dojo," explained the girl's father, "Anymore questions?"

When nobody said anything, Soun says, "Then I guess this meeting is finished."

"Come on, Akane, let's get back to training," replied Ranma, standing up.

"Okay, " said the girl, rising to her feet.

"Ranma, Akane if you're going to be in the dojo, why don't you give it a good cleaning?" requested her father.

"Do we have to?" wondered the boy.

"No complaining, just do it," ordered Genma.

"Yes sirs," said the teens in unison with their heads bowed.

------------------------------------------------------------

With a bucket of water for each of them and rags in hand, Akane went to work washing the walls, while Ranma scrubbed the dojo's floor. The boy often found himself idle, watching her instead of doing what he was suppose to be doing. Each time she caught him made her giggle uncontrollably.

"Stop!" she'd tell him, throwing her rag at him.

He'd throw it back and start working again until the next time he stopped and looked. When she finished washing the walls he still had about half the floor to do.

"That's what you get for being distracted," she told him.

"Can I help it if I like what I saw?" he replied, smiling, returning his attention to his job.

"Do you want my help?" asked Akane, holding her bucket.

"Sure if you want to," answered the boy, not looking back.

One second Ranma is working away and the next he is drenched thanks to Akane throwing her bucket of cold water on him.

"What was that for?" wondered the boy, now in his cursed form.

"You said you wanted my help," responded the short-haired girl, laughing.

"You think that's funny, do you? Let's see how you like getting soaked," said the pig-tailed girl, standing up and holding her bucket out in front of her.

"Don't," replied Akane, in a semi-serious tone, backing up towards the wall.

Ranma pulled the bucket back ready to splash the other girl with it when a knock on the dojo's front door made her stop.

"Who is it?" asked the girl with short hair.

They could see the person's silhouette against the door.

The person spoke as the door opened, "It is I, Tatewaki Kuno and I have come here looking for Akane Tendo."

He walked into the dojo dressed in his usual kendo uniform, carrying his bokken at his side and a bouquet of flowers in his hand.

Realizing he and Akane weren't alone, he continued, "Ah, my pig-tailed goddess you're here as well. That makes it easier on me."

"Why are you here anyway?" wondered Akane.

"I've come to ask you ladies if you would care to join me for a lunch date in the park?" he replied, smiling at them.

The two girls looked at each other, not responding to his request.

"Don't be shy, speak up and tell me how much you'd both enjoy a lunch date with me," the older teen insisted, taking a half dozen steps forward into the dojo.

Glancing down at the bucket in her hands, Ranma whispers to Akane, "I've got an idea for getting rid of him. Just follow my lead."

"Okay," she whispers back.

"Come now ladies, let me hear your lovely voices cry out your answers," said Kuno, throwing the bouquet at their feet.

"No," said the redhead, putting down the bucket, "I don't think I'll join you."

"What?" uttered the older boy, confused with her reply.

"How about you Akane?" she asked her.

"Oh! Me neither," said the other girl, shaking her head.

Laughing a little, he tried again, "You two are being funny. Now, tell me your real answers."

"You want our real answers? Here they are: We don't like you and we want you to leave," replied Ranma in a hard tone of voice, picking up the bouquet of flowers.

She walked over to him and Akane followed close behind.

"Nonsense, I know how both you ladies feel about me and let me assure you there's enough Tatewaki to go around," he says, reaching out for his pig-tailed goddess.

She slapped his face shouting, "Don't touch me!"

"But," mumbled the kendoist, taking a step back.

"You know what you are?" she asked.

"I am Tatewaki Kuno, The Blue Thunder," he proudly answers.

"Wrong," started Ranma, "You're pompous," and emphasized her point with a poke to his chest.

Akane got up in his face as well and included, "And egotistical," and she too poked him in the chest.

With every step the two girls take he took a step back. At a loss for words, all he could do was take what they dished out. The girls continued to insult him with them alternating between themselves and with each insult came a poke to the older boy's chest:

"Over-inflated."

"Insensitive."

"Rude."

"Uncaring."

"Self-centered."

"And chauvinistic."

When they finished insulting and poking him, Kuno was standing in the doorframe of the dojo.

"I guess what we're trying to say is..." added Ranma.

Both girls shout in unison, "Leave us alone!" and they shove him out the door.

He lands on the grass still confused at what is taking place. The front door of the dojo slides shut.

"But,... th-that can't be h-how you ladies f-feel about m-me. Y-you're hearts have t-told me y-you wanted me," stuttered Kuno, getting on his knees, "Do y-you want me to b-beg? I'm man e-enough to admit I-I've done wrong."

The dojo's door slid open again with Ranma standing there holding the bouquet of flowers in one hand and the other behind her.

"My pig-tailed beauty, I knew I could count on you," said the older boy, steadying his nerves, holding his arms out ready to accept his goddess's embrace.

"You forgot these," she replied, tossing the flowers at him.

He caught them with a confused look on his face, looking back and forth between the bouquet and the girl.

"And this from me," continued the redhead, revealing a bucket of water from behind her back.

She threw the contents of the bucket on him with a splash.

"Go home!" she shouted, shutting the door again.

The now damp upperclassman sat there, absorbing the events that transpired. Slowly, he rose to his feet and walked away from the Tendo home with a defeated and deflated look about him. The two girls peeked out the door and watched as Kuno walked away. Shutting the door once more, they couldn't help but snicker at each other.

"That felt so good," sighed Akane, leaning against the wall.

"I know," agreed Ranma, "Do you think he understands now?"

"We'll have to wait and see," replied the girl with short hair.

Both girls got on their hands and knees and finished cleaning the dojo's floor with the spilled water from Akane's bucket. Satisfied with the job they had done, the redhead began to leave.

"Where are you going? I thought you were going to help me train?" asked Akane.

"I was going to go take a bath. No sense trying to help you when I'm in this body," answered Ranma, holding her arms out at her sides and looking down at herself.

Akane walked over to her and wrapped her arms around her fiance's neck, pressing their bodies together.

"What are you doing?" asked the redhead, reluctant to move.

"Seeing how it feels to hold you when you're in your girl body," replied the girl with blue-black hair, looking at the other girl with her eyes half closed.

"Why are you doing this?" wondered Ranma, not knowing what to do.

"When I agreed to marry you, it included your cursed form as well as your normal form. I thought we could find out how it felt to hold each other while you were in your cursed body," explained Akane, inching her face closer. She added, "There is one benefit to your cursed form."

"What's that?" asked Ranma, still feeling uneasy.

The girl with short hair leaned in and kissed the other girl on the lips.

"I don't have to reach up to give you a kiss," answered Akane, giving her fiance a smile.

"I'm sorry," said Ranma, pushing her away, "This doesn't feel right. I understand you wanting to get used to me while I'm in this body, but I'm not going to stay cursed forever. One day I will become whole again and will never have to worry about having this body ever again. I hope you understand."

Akane nodded and stepped away, putting her hands behind her back.

Ranma repeated, "I'm sorry," and walked out of the dojo.

The girl with blue-black hair sighed to herself and went back to training alone, while the redheaded girl headed for the bathroom.

------------------------------------------------------------

Walking home having failed at what he set himself out to do, Tatewaki Kuno was beside himself. He couldn't understand what had happened exactly.

'Why did they reject me? Could what they said actually be how they felt?'

Continuing down the street in a daze, he didn't even acknowledge the people walking by him as they watched the damp teenager clamor by, dripping as he went. As he walked he didn't want to believe what he was thinking was true.

'No, I know they love me. The control Saotome has over them must be stronger than I thought. I have to free them from that control and I must do it soon or I risk losing both of them to that cur.'

Making up his mind, Kuno returns his attention to the outside world as he walked thru the gate leading to his home.

"Saotome, you will feel the wrath of the Blue Thunder come Monday," said the teenager, entering his house.


	9. Accepting Change Part One

It was once again the start of a new school week and once more it concerned Ranma. He has seen firsthand how fast a rumor can spread thru Furinkan High. Although every student has known about their arranged marriage for some time, none of them knew about the couple's recent engagement. The boy had no doubt that once someone discovered Akane's new ring, the entire student body would learn of it by the end of the day. She, on the other hand, wasn't as worried, telling him everything would work out for the better in the end. Most of the students accept the fact that the two teenagers are together, with the only one opposed to it being Mr. Blue Thunder himself, Tatewaki Kuno.

They arrived at the school earlier than usual, hoping to avoid their daily confrontation with the president of the kendo club. Too bad he was standing in front of the school's entrance, wooden sword drawn, apparently waiting for the couple to show up.

"Here we go again," moaned Ranma, watching the older boy approach them.

Stopping to where his bokken was an inch from his rival's chest, Kuno says, "How dare you."

"What did I do now?" asked the younger of the two boys, pushing the sword away.

Returning the blade to it's previous location, the upperclassman replied, "You know what you did."

"Pretend I don't," responded Ranma, giving his rival a stren look in the face.

"How dare you force both the lovely Akane and my pig-tailed goddess to treat me that way," answered Kuno, anger present in his voice.

"You mean when they told you how they felt towards you? I had nothing to do with that," said the younger boy.

"You lie!" snapped the older teen, "I know you ordered them to say those things. I could see it in their eyes, that it pained them to utter those insults. Even though they love me, the control you have over them is too powerful for them to ignore. But I plan on freeing both lovely ladies from that control, here and now."

Ranma says to Akane, "Maybe you should head in, I'll catch up later."

"No," interrupted Kuno, thrusting his bokken to the side, preventing the girl from leaving, "She will stay, so she can bear witness to your defeat."

"Have it your way then," replied the boy, getting into a battle stance.

The older teenager raised his wooden blade over his head, ready to bring it down on his rival. Before he could, Akane had stepped between the two boys. She put both arms out to her sides, protecting Ranma the best she could.

"Enough," she says, "There will be no fighting today. I've already decided on who I want to be with and that's Ranma. You're just going to have to accept it, Kuno."

He was about to answer her, when something shiny on her finger caught his eye.

"What is that?" asked the older boy, using his sword to point at Akane's hand.

She looked at her hand, then immediately hid it behind her back and answered, "Nothing."

"That was the undeniable sparkle of a gemstone, wasn't it?" he wondered, talking louder than needed.

By now all the other students paid very little attention to the two boys fights. They've gotten so use to it, that everyone ignores them, but when Kuno mentioned the word "gemstone" some of the students remaining outside became spectators to their battle. Ranma watched as a few of the students ran inside the school.

"No, that was your imagination," replied Akane, smiling nervously.

"No, I'm certain that was a shimmering jewel I saw on your hand. Question is: who gave it to you and why?" argued the older boy, looking over at his rival.

With her hands behind her back, the girl pulled the ring off her finger and showed her hand to Kuno, saying, "See? There's no gem on my finger."

"Show me your other hand," demanded the older teen.

Ranma took the ring from her and he quickly shoves it in his pocket.

"Nothing here either. Believe me now?" said the girl, showing him her other hand.

"No, I believe only what I seen. And I know I saw a shining jewel on your lovely hand," answered the older boy.

Before too long, classrooms on the first floor opened their windows so people could watch what was happening outside.

'Oh, great, it's spreading already,' thought the younger boy, looking at the growing crowd.

Ranma spoke up, "Suppose I did give her a ring, what about it?"

"I will not allow such a foul human being like yourself from ever giving my maiden Akane a gift such as that," replied Kuno, disgust present in his voice.

"I am _not_ your maiden. I never _was_ your maiden, or will I ever _be_ your maiden," snapped Akane, stepping up to the older teen and pushing him backwards.

"But it is our destiny to be together," responded the upperclassman as if talking to someone who couldn't understand Japanese.

"My destiny is to be with Ranma and I choose to follow that path," she corrects him angrily.

"I will prove you're my destiny, by defeating the cur you believe to be your's," stated Kuno, raising his bokken again.

"I said, 'no fights'," she repeats, putting her arms out to her sides again.

"Forget it, Akane. He isn't going to listen to you, he believes what he wants to is right and nothing will change it," said Ranma, adding, "Maybe we'd better off if I pounded his head a couple of times."

"No, Ranma, all this nonsense ends today. There will be no more fighting between the two of you, got it?" answered the girl.

"I cannot accept those terms," responded the older boy.

"How about these?" started the younger teen, "If I win you can no longer go after either Akane or the pig-tailed girl."

"And when I win?" wondered the upperclassman.

"If you win, then you get your pick," said Ranma.

Akane glanced back at him and shot him an angry look.

"And if that girl rejects you, will you believe it came from her heart?" finished the younger boy.

"Yes, because your control over both of them would be gone," answered Kuno, "But I'm confident neither one would reject me."

"Prove it," replied Ranma. 'There is only one way to make him understand. I don't want to do this, but I have no choice,' he thought.

"Gladly," said the upperclassman, rushing forward.

Akane was forced to step out of the way of the charging older teen, allowing him to pass. Kuno brought his blade down from over his head to about knee height in front of himself, missing his target who had sidestepped the attack. Turning the wooden sword sideways, the older boy sliced up at an angle from the ground to his right shoulder, missing again because Ranma had jumped up to avoid being hit.

Upon the boy landing, Kuno quickly reverses the blade, cutting right to left one-hundred-eighty degrees. The younger teen ducked under the sword as it went by. Raising his sword over his left shoulder, the older boy sliced down at a forty-five degree angle down to his right foot. Again Ranma stepped away from the attack.

Reversing the blade again, Kuno tried cutting from the ground up to the sky. The younger boy flipped back to avoid the sword. Kuno charged and thrusts his bokken forward. Once more, Ranma sidestepped the attack.

"Thousand Blade Strike!" shouted the older teen, producing a flurry of quick jabs with his sword.

The upperclassman's assault may have been fast, but the younger boy matched that speed, successfully dodging each thrust as they came. Completing the last jab, Kuno sliced his sword to his side, trying to catch his opponent off guard, but the younger teen ducked down, allowing the blade to pass by over his head.

Ranma backed away a few steps, anticipating the upperclassman's next move. Holding his bokken out in front, the older boy measured his oncoming attack. Using the sword to point to the ground, Kuno drew a circle in the air around his body. Putting the blade over his left shoulder, the older teen ran towards his opponent.

The kendo student slashed down to the ground, an attack the younger boy sidestepped, then suddenly Kuno reversed the attack and the sword shot up to the air. The only way the younger teenager could avoid the blade was to jump over his opponent. Turning to face his rival, the older boy began breathing harder.

Getting back into a fighting stance, Ranma stood there waiting. He didn't have to wait long, because Kuno charged forward once more.

The upperclassman shouted, "Shooting Star Strike!" and the series of slashes produced a five-point star attack.

The younger teenager dodged each pass the sword made. The last part of that attack was the older boy thrusting his blade thru the center of the star. Ranma easily sidestepped it at the last second, spreading his arms out to avoid any contact, leaving his chest wide open. But Kuno saw his opponent's lapse in defense and quickly turned the entire sword sideways and planted the base of the hilt into the younger boy's gut. Ranma gave an airless cough, grabbed his stomach with both arms and collapsed to the ground.

Akane gasped watching the younger teenager fall down. By this time every student in attendance at the school had been viewing the battle. Seeing the boy laid out on the ground began a flurry of murmurs from the crowd.

"I win, Saotome," said the upperclassman, setting his sword in his belt.

Turning around, he smiles and says, "Now my sweet Akane, come give me a hug and congratulate me."

The girl began running to him. As she got closer, Kuno opened his arms wide, ready to accept the girl's embrace.

Instead, she ran right past him and got on her knees next to Ranma.

"Are you okay?" she asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.

The boy looked up at her and gave her a sly, little wink.

"Wha?" she said, with a confused look on her face.

She continued to stare at him, wondering what was going on.

"Akane," started the older boy, "I freed you from his control, you don't have to keep up the charade."

She looked over at him and it began to dawn on her. She remembers the conversation the two boys had:

_"And if that girl rejects you, will you believe it came from her heart?" asked Ranma. _

_"Yes, because your control over both of them would be gone," answered Kuno, "But I'm confident neither one will reject me."_

'I understand it now,' thought the girl, turning her eyes towards the younger boy.

"Come Akane, let us leave him here and allow me to walk you inside," requested the upperclassman, holding his arm out for her to take.

Not taking her gaze off of Ranma; who continued to lay motionless on the ground; she responds, "No."

"But you're no longer under his command, you don't have to stay by his side," argued Kuno, with a hint of worry in his voice.

"I know I don't," said Akane, running her hand over the boy's hair lovingly while smiling, "But I want to."

The older teen gave a small gasp and backed away, shock apparent on his face. 'She's rejecting me; Tatewaki Kuno; so she can be with him? Even after I defeated Saotome and broke the power he had over her, she still remains at his side. Perhaps she had been under his control for so long, she developed feelings for him and so now it seems she's really in love with him,' he thought.

"Akane," he began, sounding like he was begging.

"What?" she snapped, looking at him with a scowl on her face, "Don't you get it? No matter how many times you ask, I'm not going to go with you. So just go away and leave us alone," then she turned her head away with a, "Hmph."

"I see," said Kuno, his voice trailing off.

The older teen turned and walked away with his head hung low, looking as though he was the one who had lost the fight.

From his fetal position, Ranma quietly asked, "Is he gone yet?"

The girl watched the upperclassman reach the front entrance of the school. The older boy looked back and let out a discouraged sigh.

'At least I still have my pig-tailed goddess,' he thought.

Then he entered the building and pushed his way thru the throng of students awaiting the two younger teenagers.

When the kendo student was out of sight, she said, "He's gone."

"Thank goodness, I thought he'd never leave," replied the boy, sitting up seemingly unhurt.

She asked again, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, it didn't hurt as much as I made look," he answered.

"No, I mean are you okay with losing a fight to Kuno, even if it was on purpose?" wondered Akane, rephrasing the question.

"I'll live with it," said Ranma, waving it off, "It won't bother me, as long as Kuno finally understands he can't have you."

"Yeah," she agreed, adding, "All that is left is for his 'pig-tailed goddess' to reject him and then he'll leave us alone."

Both teens stood up and started for the entrance. The boy reaches into his pocket and pulls out the girl's ring.

"Here you go," he says, giving it to her.

She thanked him and placed it back on her finger.

Nearly every student standing around the front doors began asking them questions. Not wanting to answer those questions, the two teenagers made their way thru the crowd to their awaiting classroom. Of course, it wasn't any better inside the classroom than out in the halls.

All the girls in the class were hovering around Akane's desk, admiring the ring and congratulating her on the engagement.

"That ring really is beautiful, Akane," said Sayuri, one of the girl's closest friends.

"Yeah, I wish my boyfriend was as committed as your's," added Yuka, another close friend of Akane's.

The girl couldn't help but smile at the remarks.

Meanwhile all the guys were telling Ranma how lucky he was to be marrying one of the prettiest girls in the school.

"Who would've thought you'd actually give her a ring?" said Daisuke, smiling.

Hiroshi included, "Yeah, it took him this long to admit he loves her."

The boy gave a small chuckle to the statement.

After seeing the ring, Ukyo walked over and gave the boy a slap on the back, saying, "Nice choice."

"Thanks," he said back.

"What made you decide on that ring?" she asked.

"I thought the ruby was a nice way to represent Akane's inner fire," replied Ranma.

"It suits her," agreed his friend.

She walked back to the other group when their English teacher; Miss Hinako Ninomiya; walked in. She saw her class was split into two large groups.

She makes her way over to the group of girls, her waist-length brown hair flapping behind her and she asks, "What's going on?"

"Akane's wearing a ring," replied one of the girls.

And true to her child-like form, she gleefully says, "Let me see, let me see," and pushes her way into the group.

Looking at the ring on the girl's finger, she said, "That's pretty. Who gave it to you?"

"Ranma did," answered Akane, with a big grin on her face.

"Ranma Saotome?" wondered Miss Hinako, glancing over at the boy as he laughed with his friends.

Then she remarked, "Who'd of thought?" before exiting the group.

She returned to the front of the class and announced, "All right, everyone take your seat."

When no one listens, she pulls a five yen coin out of her purse and tries again with a harder tone of voice, "I'll only say it once more, everyone take your seat."

The group of girls begin filing back to their seats, but the group of boys remained together.

Holding the coin between her index and middle fingers, Miss Hinako shouts, "Happo Five-Yen Attack!" and drains some ki energy from all the boys, who all go limp and fall to the floor. She uses this energy to transform into her slim, busty adult form.

With a voice an octave lower and still holding the coin between her long, slender fingers, she commands, "Now take your seats."

Slowly the boys crawl their way to their seats.

After a few minutes the boys' ki levels return to normal as the teacher laid out the day's assignment, "Everyone get out your books and turn to page..."


	10. Accepting Change Part Two

When lunchtime rolled around another rumor had started to spread. This one stated that Ranma Saotome had lost to Tatewaki Kuno on purpose.

Some of the students asked the upperclassman if it was true, but he promptly denied it by saying, "Ranma Saotome lost to my superior skills. He couldn't withstand the power that is the Blue Thunder. Saotome is the one most likely to have started this rumor, in hopes of repairing his damaged pride."

Not knowing if they should believe him or not, the students asked the other participant of the fight whether the rumor was true or false.

Every time he was asked, the boy would reply, "Yeah, I let him win."

Inclined to believe Ranma more than Kuno, the rumor continued on it's journey through the school.

After showing her ring to what seemed every girl in the student body, Akane was finally able to spend some time with her friends, Sayuri and Yuka. Both Ranma and Akane thought it was best to spend lunchtime apart from one another today.

"What is it you wanted to ask us?" wondered Yuka, as all three girls sat down at a table.

"I was going to ask if either one of you wanted to be the Maid of Honor at my wedding," said Akane, sounding a little hesitant.

"What about your sisters? Did you ask them?" asked Sayuri.

"I did. They both declined," replied the girl, adding, "So?"

Her two friends huddled together, whispering to one another and giving a nod or a head shake periodically.

Returning their attention to Akane, Sayuri spoke up first, "We would love to, but seeing as we can't both be your Maid of Honor, we think it would be better if you asked someone else."

"Oh," said Akane, her voice low and dejected.

Yuka quickly added, "We don't want you to feel like you're playing favorites by having one of us be your Maid of Honor while the other couldn't. Maybe you could ask someone else, a mutual friend of your's and Ranma's, like Ukyo."

"Ukyo?" repeated Akane.

"Yeah," agreed Sayuri, "Why not ask her?"

"I guess I could talk to Ranma about it," said the girl, still sounding hesitant.

She tried to sound cheerful when she asked her friends, "Would both of you like to be my bridesmaids, I still need them."

Sayuri and Yuka respond with a simultaneous, "Okay."

"Alright, I'll let know what day you're going to need to be fitted for dresses. It should be in the next week or two," said Akane, a little happier now as she and her friends began eating their lunch.

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Of course, Ranma wasn't having any better luck with his two friends, Daisuke and Hiroshi either. The two boys huddled together like Sayuri and Yuka did when their friend asked them if one of them wanted to be his Best Man at the wedding. Turning their attention to him, they didn't give an answer right away.

Fed up with their silence, the boy asks, "Well?"

"Um... we're honored you thought to ask us about being your Best Man, " started Hiroshi.

Daisuke continued the train of thought, "But we both agree that being Best Man is a huge responsibility, one we're not ready for."

Before Ranma could respond, Hiroshi adds, "We want you to know we are willing to help out in any way we can, just not as Best Man."

The boy says, "Thanks, I guess the wedding is in need of some ushers to help people to their seats."

"We could do that," replied Daisuke.

"Okay sure," agreed Hiroshi, accompanying his answer with a nod.

"Thanks," repeated Ranma, adding, "I'll let you guys know when you're going to need to be fitted for suits, how's that sound?"

"Alright," said both boys, one after the other.

"But that still leaves me without a Best Man, who should I ask?" wondered Ranma.

"How about Ryoga?" responded Daisuke.

"Yeah, isn't Ryoga one of your friends too?" asked Hiroshi.

"Hmm... I'll see what Akane thinks before I ask him," said the boy, opening his lunch bag, "Now let's eat, I'm starved."

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Finishing their lunch with plenty of time left in the lunch period, Akane and her friends did what most of the girls do during lunch: they talked about other girls and who they were going steady with. One would tell the other two what they had heard rumor-wise among the other girls in the school.

Akane was listening to a rather juicy piece of gossip where one girl was followed home by a boy before he got the nerve to ask her out, when she notice Ukyo walk by.

"Excuse me for a minute," she said to her friends, who acknowledged her leaving before returning to their conversation.

She hurried to catch up to her friend.

Stepping beside her former rival, she asked, "Can we talk?"

"Hi, Akane. Sure, about what?" replied the other girl.

The two of them sat down at an unoccupied table.

Immediately Akane asked, "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine, why do you ask?" answered Ukyo, asking her own question.

"I mean with Ranma's choice to be with me, how are you?" wondered the girl.

"I told you guys I'm okay with it, really," responded the okonomiyaki chef, smiling.

"I'm only asking because I'm worried about you. During my date with Ranma I kept seeing you look over at him," said Akane.

"Oh, you saw that, did you?" realized Ukyo, lowering her gaze.

"I did and I want you to know if you ever need someone to talk to I'd be glad to lend you an ear, I know what you're going through," she assured her friend.

"How do you know what I'm going through?" wondered her formal rival.

"You've met Dr. Tofu, right?" asked the girl.

"Yeah, I know who he is," said Ukyo.

"Well, before Ranma had shown up with the arranged marriage, I had a crush on him. Except he had a crush on my older sister, Kasumi. I had to deal with the mixed emotions, being happy for her, while at the same time I was sad for myself. I eventually got over him and began looking for someone else to fall in love with. I guess it was around that time I started falling for Ranma," explained Akane.

"Oh, I see," replied the girl's friend.

"So if you ever need to talk, I'm here for you," repeated the girl.

"Thanks," said Ukyo, smiling again.

Changing the subject, Akane asked, "How are things going with Ryoga?"

"Slowly," chuckled the okonomiyaki chef, "He's too busy blushing and stuttering to do anything."

Laughing a little, the girl with short hair said, "He's like that. You might have to start things off before he opens up. Try giving him a hug or a kiss and see if that helps."

"I'll think about it," replied the long haired girl.

Before Akane could ask Ukyo if she wanted to be her Maid of Honor, the lunch bell rang.

"See you later," said Ukyo, standing up.

"Okay, see you," agreed Akane, returning to her friends.

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At the end of the day the entire student body knew two things: that Kuno's victory was false and Akane's ring was real.

Both her and Ranma talked about what their friends said to them as they walked home. He agreed with asking Ukyo to be Maid of Honor and she agreed with asking Ryoga to be Best Man.

Arriving at the Tendo household, the two teenagers deposited their bags in their rooms. Ranma waited downstairs for Akane to change out of her school uniform. Before leaving they told Kasumi they were going out and that they'd be back in an hour or two. Walking side by side down the street, the couple made their way to Uchan's.

Sliding the door open, the two teens inadvertently walked into the middle of a conversation: "This is the third time in a week you've been here, Ryoga. Why is that?" Ukyo asked her only customer at the time.

"I... I... l-l-like th-the f-f-f-food, I-I gu-guess," answered the beet-red teen, his eyes looking down at the bar, twirling his tea cup in his hand.

Smiling at him, the okonomiyaki chef turned her attention to the newly arrived customers, "Welcome,.. hi, you guys."

Ryoga also looked over at who had come thru the door, "H-hello."

The teenagers returned the greetings.

"What can I get for you?" wondered Ukyo, picking up her pitcher of batter.

"Nothing, we just wanted to ask both of you something," replied Ranma.

"Sure, what about?" asked his female friend.

Glancing at each other first, Akane said, "We thought about it a little and we both agree, we want both of you to be a part of our wedding."

"Okay," answered the okonomiyaki chef, "What do you want me to do, cater your reception?"

"No, nothing like that," said the boy.

"I want you to be my Maid of Honor," added the girl with blue-black hair.

Ranma quickly included, "And I want Ryoga to be my Best Man."

Ukyo's response was to drop the spatula she had in her hand onto the floor with a clatter.

As she bent down to pick it up, the lost boy phrased it best, "Wow."

Straightening up, Ukyo asked, "I'm flattered you thought to ask me, but what about your other friends?"

"They both agreed I should ask you," replied Akane.

"Same here, my friends said I should ask Ryoga as well," added Ranma, before his former rival could ask the same question.

"I guess I could do it," said Ryoga, no longer blushing.

"Thank you," said the two teenagers.

Sounding hesitant, the okonomiyaki chef couldn't bring herself to agree, "I don't know."

"Come on, it'll mean a lot to us if you say yes," the boy assured her.

"Yeah, please say you'll do it," pleaded the girl with short hair.

"Alright, if it means that much to you I'll do it then," agreed Ukyo, smiling along with the rest of the group.

The couple thanked her for going along with the choice as well and then Akane explained, "We'll let you know the date for getting fitted for your outfits will be."

The other two teen respond with nods and say, "Okay."

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Meanwhile; unbeknownst to them; a pair of eyes have been watching them thru the window for the last few minutes. The eyes belong to the purple-haired amazon named Shampoo and a look of despair is present on her face. She couldn't hear exactly what was being said, but it didn't matter to her. Just seeing her 'husband' with 'the other girl' together was enough to make her sad.

'Ranma,' she says to herself, letting out a sigh.

She knows she can't confront him due to the deal she made with Akane, but right now she couldn't care less about the agreement. She just wanted to hold him again, even if it means breaking her vow. She also wants to get revenge on Akane for beating her in the fight, but at the moment she doesn't know how to go about getting her revenge.

Shampoo turns and walks away, returning her attention to the delivery her great-grandmother set her out on. For now she'll stay away while contemplating on a plan to get back at her rival and hopefully drive Ranma into her arms.

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Heading for the door, Ranma and Akane say their goodbyes.

"See you tomorrow at school," Ukyo said to their retreating backs, before returning her gaze to Ryoga, who hasn't touched the okonomiyaki she gave him.

"Goodbye," said Ryoga, returning the teen's gesture.

"I think there's another reason you're here, besides the food," started Ukyo, poking the lost boy's forehead with her spatula, smiling at him again.

"Huh? Uh...uh," stuttered Ryoga.

It didn't take him long to start blushing again.

"N-n-no, it-it's th-the f-f-f-food," he replies as Ranma shuts the sliding door behind him and the couple leave them alone.

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Making their way home, the two teenagers were hoping for a quiet evening at home.

"I guess everything is set now," said Akane, holding hands with Ranma as they walked down the street.

"Yeah," he agreed, "All that is left is for us to go through with the wedding."

"You're not having second thoughts, are you?" she asked, sounding apprehensive.

"No, are you?" he replied, asking his own question.

"No," she told him, adding, "But I am afraid something bad is going to happen."

"I've got that nagging feeling too, but it's most likely coming from what happened last time," explained the boy.

"You're probably right," the girl agreed.

"There's nothing to worry about, you'll see. Everything will go off without a hitch and before you know it, we'll be married," he assured her.

"I hope so," she responded, putting her head on his shoulder and wrapping her arm around his.

'So do I,' thought the boy as the teenagers reach the front door of the Tendo home.

Upon entering, the couple is confronted by Nabiki, who had just come down the stairs.

"Oh, Ranma before I forget again, here," she said, handing him a piece of paper folded into the shape of a long rectangle.

"Who's it from?" asked Akane.

Ranma reads the front of the note aloud, "To my darling pig-tailed goddess."

The two teens look at each other and they both flatly say, "Kuno."

Opening the letter, the boy continues to read it out loud; "Dear Fire-Haired Beauty, I; Tatewaki Kuno; request an audience with you at the site of our first meeting, by the pool of Furinkan High. I wish to see your radiance at the desired time of Five-thirty p.m. I shall be waiting for you. Signed, Your Loving Hero, Tatewaki Kuno."

One question came to Ranma's mind, "Why did he give this to you, Nabiki?"

"He said he gave it to me because since he defeated you in fair combat he no longer wanted to have anything to do with you," replied the middle sister.

"Are you going to go?" asked the younger of the two girls.

"This is a chance to get Kuno out of our hair for good. I've got to take it," he answered.

"Then you better hurry, it's Five o'clock now," Nabiki reminds him.

He thanked her and headed for the bathroom. A minute later, he zips past them and out the door all the while in his cursed form.

"I'll be back later," she called to the two sisters.

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Standing by the school's pool, the cursed form of Ranma Saotome waited for Tatewaki Kuno to show up.

With her hands in her pockets, she says to herself, 'He's late.'

Sensing someone behind her, she quickly ducks under a pair of arms wanting to wrap themselves around her. Moving away, she looked behind her and saw it was Kuno in his kendo uniform with his sword at his side who was trying to grab her.

"What are you doing?" she asked flatly, her eyes half closed.

"I was only trying to recreate the moment we met, my dear," he replied.

"Well don't," snapped Ranma.

"Why did you want to see me?" wondered the redhead.

"You must have felt the spell Saotome had put on you as it was lifted from your body. We can finally be together," explained the upperclassman, taking a step forward.

She took a step back and said, "I didn't feel anything."

"Nevertheless, allow me to hold you in my warm embrace," responded Kuno, taking another step forward.

This time Ranma didn't move.

"Isn't there something you want to say to me?" asked the older boy.

"Yes," she replied, "I don't want to see you again."

Not missing a beat, he says, "Surely you jest, I know you want me. I remember all the things we've done together, you love me I know it."

Inching closer to Kuno, the girls tells him, "Perhaps I'm not making myself clear."

She grabs the front of his kendo uniform and she throws him into the pool with a splash.

"I never want to see you again!" she yells at him.

Breaking the surface of the water, the upperclassman swam to the side and pulled himself out.

"This doesn't make any sense. I freed you from Saotome's control and this is how you repay me?" said the wet teenager, sounding confused and angry, water dripping from his sleeves and pants.

"You're right, I'm sorry," apologized Ranma, looking down at the ground, hands behind her back.

"That's better. Now come here, I wish to hold you," ordered Kuno.

"What about Akane?" asked the girl in a demanding tone, looking up at him.

"Akane Tendo is out of my life. Let that despicable wretch Saotome have her. It's you I want, my dear. You and only you, so come and let me hold you," explained the older teen, slashing away at the air with his hand as if he was tossing aside a dirty rag.

Slowly, she inched closer to him. Allowing herself to be held, the girl fell into his wet and cold embrace.

"See, I knew you wanted me," said Kuno, wrapping his arms around her.

"Yes, I do want you," agreed the girl, putting her hands on his chest.

Once again, she grabbed the front of his kendo uniform, water coming from the knots of clothing she had in her hands and said, "I want you...," and then as she threw him into the pool again, she continued to say, "To leave me alone!"

Breaking the surface of the pool a second time, the confused teen watched as the girl turned around and walked away.

"Goodbye!" she said in a huff, leaving him there.

'Even my pig-tailed goddess is rejecting me. Why is this happening to me?' thought Kuno, as he tried to get a handle on the situation.

Swimming to the pool's side again, he continued to think, 'Both lovely ladies have left me. This can't be right, I know they love me. Perhaps Saotome's evil spell wasn't lifted as I first thought. Maybe just defeating him won't do the trick. What if I have to force him to release them. That way he'd have no choice but to do as I say. But to achieve this I will have to come up with a new strategy.'

The upperclassman climbed out of the pool once more and headed home, poised to think of a new way to free Saotome's prisoners, a trail of water following him in his wake.


	11. Sociably Fitting

Disclaimer: I wish to address the upcoming chapter. This chapter is to put it nicely: _boring_. But this chapter is essential in setting up the next part of the series. To understand some of the things that happen in Part Three this chapter is needed to be read. Please no flames saying how boring this chapter is, I know, I wrote it. I apologize in advance for the chapter. Thank you.

* * *

The day for ordering the tuxedos and gowns came a week from Saturday and both groups of teenagers were anxious to get it out of the way. Akane met up with her friends in front of Uchan's and they waited for Ukyo to close up before heading over to a shopping center nearby. 

"Where are we going, Akane?" asked Sayuri as the girls enter the building.

"Ranma's mother told me about a place in here that makes dresses for a reasonable price. She said she buys her kimonos from there," answered their friend, walking over to a directory board. Akane scans down the list of stores until she finds the one she is looking for.

Pointing at the map, she says, "There: 'Madam Fumiko's Kimono and Dress Shop'. It's on the other side of the mall, come on," and all four girls begin walking towards their desired location.

Going past store after store, the girls passed the time by chatting to each other about things they heard in school.

"Did you hear what Masako did when Kenzo pinched her butt?" asked Yuka.

"I heard she broke his nose," replied Sayuri.

Laughing, Yuka responded, "I heard she broke her hand _on_ his nose."

Akane added, "I heard she broke her hand _and_ his nose!" and she laughed along with the others.

Ukyo though wasn't joining in with them, instead she was absorbing the conversation as it continued, looking back and forth between the three other girls.

"I heard Takada got dumped by Kemuri when she found out he was seeing her friend Midori behind her back," said Sayuri.

"Yeah and she was seeing his friend Hayato behind his," included Yuka.

"Weren't Takada and Kemuri together since the beginning of the year?" asked Akane.

"Yeah they were," answered Yuka, "But not anymore."

Before long the group of girls reach the store they were looking for. Above the entrance was a red light-up sign that read: 'Madam Fumiko's Kimono and Dress Shop' and in the store's front window was a display of two beautiful kimonos; one red with a dragon design and the other was pink with a floral design around it; and two dresses, one was white and the other one was blue.

They walk in and are greeted by a middle-aged woman with chin-length black hair, wearing an orange kimono with a setting sun design on the back.

"How may I help you?" she asked.

"My three friends need to be fitted for some bridesmaids dresses," answered Akane.

"Three bridesmaid gowns? Alright, follow me please," said the lady.

She led the girls to a corner of the store near the back, where there were giant rolls of different colors of fabric lining the wall. Standing in front of the rolls was a younger woman; about mid-twenties; with shoulder-length black hair, dressed in a short, black skirt and a white, silk shirt. The girl also had a yellow measuring tape hung around her neck.

"Three bridesmaid gowns," said the older woman.

"Yes, Madam Fumiko," replied her assistant, writing the order down.

Turning to her customers, the store owner asked, "What color did you want?"

"I was thinking pink would be nice," responded Akane.

The assistant repeated the girl's choice while jotting it down. She then walked over to the pink roll of fabric and moved it out on the metal arm and spindle it was set on against the wall and swung it over next to an x marked on the floor.

"Who'll be first?" asked Madam Fumiko.

Yuka stepped up first. The woman had the girl stand on the x while her assistant handed her the tape. With each measurement the store owner received, she relayed them to the younger woman, who then in turn wrote them down on an order slip. Next Madam Fumiko had her assistant unroll some of the pink fabric and she wrapped it around her customer. Then using some needles, the older woman marked off how much fabric was needed and had her assistant use a pair of scissors to cut the amount of fabric needed off the roll.

She then had another one of the girls stand on the x and repeated the method she used on the first one with the other two. It wasn't long before all three girls had their measurements taken and a pile of pink fabric was laid out on one of the shelves awaiting to be worked on.

After Ukyo was done, the lady turned to Akane and asked, "What about you, miss?"

"I don't need a bridesmaid dress, I'm the bride," said the girl, nonchalantly.

"But you're so young. Why get married so early in life?" wondered the older woman.

"We love each other," replied Akane, smiling.

"Ah, well love is a good thing to have in a marriage," responded the store owner, walking with her customers to the front of the store.

Standing behind the register, Madam Fumiko rung up Akane's order.

"Three custom-made bridesmaid gowns. That comes to ninety-seven thousand, five hundred yen," said the lady, punching in the numbers.

"Here it is," replied the girl, opening her purse and handing over a one-hundred thousand yen bill.

"Thank you, your order will be ready in three weeks, one week per dress," the lady told her customers, giving Akane her change.

They thanked her and walked out the store. Akane looked over at Ukyo and saw she had a discouraged look on her face.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Sayuri and Yuka notice the look too.

"I think I'm going to look silly in a dress," admitted the okonomiyaki chef.

"Nonsense," said Yuka, "I think you'll look great in a dress."

"Me too," agreed Sayuri, encouraging her new friend.

"I don't know," replied Ukyo, reluctant to agree.

"Maybe this dress will help Ryoga to come out of his shell and allow him to tell you how he feels," Akane points out as the four girls reach the center of the mall.

The girl's former rival smiled faintly, thinking about what her friend's had told her.

"Hey, while we're here let's pick up some of the other things we need, like some shoes," suggested Sayuri, changing the subject.

The other three girls agree and they head off for the nearest shoe outlet store.

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Meanwhile, Ranma and his two friends; Daisuke and Hiroshi; only had to wait an extra hour before Ryoga showed up to meet them in front of the Tendo home. Of course, even though he found his way, sort of, he still looked like he was lost.

"About time," said Hiroshi, sounding fed up.

"Sorry," apologized the lost boy, bowing his head.

"Forget it, lets go," replied Ranma and all four boys head for the same shopping center Akane and her friends went to.

They enter the building and walk over to the directory board. They look up and down the list of stores and Ranma finds one that looks promising.

"Here's one: 'All Things for Men' store. That sounds like a good place to start," said the teen.

The other boys agree and they stroll over to the department store. They pass in front of a shoe store, when they notice Akane and her friends leaving the store, each with a paper bag in their hands.

"Hey, Akane," called the boy.

"Hi, Ranma," she greeted him.

"Hi, Ryoga," she said to the lost boy.

"H-hello," he replied.

Ukyo however wouldn't look at him, instead her head was down and her eyes were staring at the floor. Outside of her element; her restaurant; she was just as afraid and timid as Ryoga was.

Ranma leaned in and said to his former rival, "Why not say hello to Ukyo?"

"I don't want to," he told him in a loud whisper.

Daisuke and Hiroshi heard the two boys' exchange of words and they sneak up on the lost boy and push him forward. He glanced back at them and they wave their hands as if to say, "Go on."

Akane motions to Ukyo to say something.

The okonomiyaki chef stepped forward and while staring at the ground she said, "Hi, Ryoga."

Looking at her, his face began to turn red as he spoke, "H-h-hi, U-u-u-ukyo, h-h-how a-a-are y-you?"

"I'm fine, and you?" she answered, her face flush, still not looking at him.

"I-I-I c-c-c-can't c-co-complain," he responded, scratching the back of his head, also gazing at the ground.

There was an eerie silence between them for about seven seconds before Akane intervened, "I guess we should get going. I'll see you later, Ranma."

"Alright, see you later," replied the boy.

"Bye, Ryoga," said Ukyo, smiling at him before turning to leave, her face as red as his.

"B-b-bye U-u-ukyo," answered the lost boy as Ranma hooks his arm under his friend's and pulls him along.

With the girls out of sight Ryoga returns to normal, turns to his friends and asks, "Why did you two do that?"

"We figured we'd help you along," said Daisuke.

"I don't need help," insisted the lost boy.

"Looked like you did from our point of view," argued Hiroshi.

"Why not come out and tell Ukyo how you feel?" wondered Ranma.

"Because I'm afraid of how she'll react," replied Ryoga, saying it as if they should know this.

"I think you'll be surprised," responded the boy as they reached their destination.

"Here it is, the 'All Things for Men' clothing store," said Ranma, reading the sign above the entrance.

Looking in thru the store front window the group of guys see racks full of short and long sleeve shirts, pants, jackets, sweaters, blazers and trousers. There were stacks of neatly folded dress shirts and pants and the one thing they were looking for: suits and tuxedos. The four of them walk in and begin to browse around the merchandise. It wasn't long before a sales clerk came over to them. He looked to be in his thirties. He was dressed in a dress shirt and black, dress pants.

"Is there anything I can help you gentlemen with?" he asked.

"Yes, we wanted to take a look at some tuxedos for my friends," answered Ranma.

"Very well, they're right over here," said the salesman, showing the boys to a rack of tuxedos lined up against the wall of the store.

"Is there a reason you gentlemen are looking for tuxedos?" wondered the man.

"Yeah, it's his wedding and we're helping out," said Daisuke pointing at Ranma.

"A wedding? Well, congratulations, sir," replied the sales clerk, taking a tux down off the rack.

Each of the three boys tried on a different top coat and trouser. The store clerk used needles to mark where altercations needed to be made for each of the teens.

With the black top coat on, Ryoga said, "I'll look ridiculous in this getup."

"No way," argued Hiroshi, "You'll look stupid like the rest of us."

All four boys started laughing.

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At the same time, someone was watching them thru the glass of the store front window. The person had been walking by, when she glanced into the store and saw the group of boys inside. She was dressed in a black, v-neck dress that stopped at her knees, with a red sash around her waist. Her long black hair done up in a ponytail. Kodachi's eyes were focused on Ranma as she watched him laugh with his friends.

'My darling,' she says to herself, putting a hand on the glass, 'That wretched little girl has stolen you from me and there isn't a single thing I can do to get you back.'

Every plan she has concocted in the past few weeks she has discredited, remembering how the last plan she enacted failed so miserably.

'I don't deserve to love you, but I can't seem to help myself but to love you,' she thought, 'If I an to ever receive your love, I must dispose of the girl before it's too late. My window of opportunity grows smaller by the day. These are desperate times and desperate times call for drastic measures.'

Then Kodachi's eyes lit up as she thought of something.

'I've got it, but to bring forth this idea I will need some help,' she told herself, smiling mischievously.

Quickly she turned and walked away at a fast pace, leaving the shopping center with her purchases.

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Ranma glances out the store front window, thinking he saw something. Not seeing anything, the boy returns his attention to his friends. In addition to the tuxedos, the three boys also bought a pair of black dress shoes each and pack of black socks to go along with the shoes.

The clerk rings up the sale. "Your total comes to one hundred, fifteen thousand, two hundred yen," said the man.

Ranma pulls out his wallet to pay, but a hand lands on his shoulder. Looking behind him, he sees it was Ryoga.

"We've got this, Ranma," insisted the lost boy.

He, Daisuke and Hiroshi pooled their money together and were able to pay the salesman what was owed.

"Thank you, gentlemen. The alterations will be finished by the end of next week, so come back then to pick them up," the clerk told the boys before they left the store.

Walking out, Ranma says, "You guys didn't have to do that, you know?"

"Yeah, we know," replied Ryoga.

Hiroshi added, "But what is the point of you paying when we're the ones who are going to be wearing them?"

Laughing, the boy agrees, "I guess you're right about that."

Walking to the center of the mall, the four guys stop and look around.

"So, now what?" asked Ryoga

"We could check out the new action flick at the movie theater," suggested Hiroshi.

"We could go to the food court and hit on girls," said Daisuke, smiling.

"Is that all you think about?" asked Ranma.

"Sorry, but it's not like all of us have a fiancee like you do," answered his friend.

"Or two," added Hiroshi.

"Or three," chuckled Daisuke.

"Alright, I get it, I get it," the boy told them, tired of their run-on joke.

"So, what are we doing?" repeated Ryoga.

"Why don't we see that movie?" said Ranma.

"Okay," agreed the other boys, starting off again.

Making their way to the theater, Daisuke says, "Remember, Ranma, you're buying."

"Yeah, we spent all our money on the penguin suits," included Hiroshi.

"Sure thing, guys," replied the teen, laughing with the rest of them.

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Later that day as the sun began to set, the Nekohanten was preparing for the dinner rush. The old amazon, Cologne was busy in the back while Shampoo and Mousse were cleaning off and setting up the empty tables for the customers. The phone on the wall starts to ring.

"Shampoo, be a dear and get that, I'm a little busy at the moment," said the old woman.

"Yes, great-grandmother," replied the girl.

Picking up the receiver, she says in a happy tone, "Nihao, Nekohanten, may I take your order?"

There was no answer on the other line.

"Hello?" asked Shampoo.

"Hello," said a voice.

The girl repeats, "May I take your order?"

The person on the phone doesn't say anything.

"You no order, Shampoo hang up," said the young amazon, her happiness gone.

"Have you recently lost the one you love to a bitter rival?" asked the person.

"Who this?" wondered Shampoo, sounding confused.

Mousse looks up at her noticing a change in the girl's tone of voice.

"Do you wish to exact revenge on this rival and bring your loved one back into your grasp?" continued the person.

"Why ask?" asked the amazon, interested.

"Because I am like you, I too have lost the one I love to my hated rival and I want to get back at that person. We may be able to help each other. If you wish to do so, come to this address so we can meet to discuss plans for revenge," explained the person on the line.

Shampoo writes down the address that is given to her.

She asks again, "Who this?" but the line went dead.

Hanging up the phone, the girl looks at the notepad.

"What was that about, Shampoo?" wondered Mousse.

"No Mousse's business!" she snapped, giving him an angry look.

"Shampoo, what did they order?" asked Cologne, sticking her head out from the back.

Thinking for a few moments, the girl removes her apron, tears the note off the pad and hurries out the door.

"Shampoo go somewhere. Be back later," she said, closing the door behind her.

"What is that girl up to now?" wondered the old woman, shaking her head.

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Arriving at the address given to her, Shampoo walks thru the entrance gate and heads for the front door. She receives no answer when she knocks. Turning to leave, she is startled by the door slowly opening on it's own accord.

Sticking her head into the dark foyer, she says, "Nihao? Person ask Shampoo to come, now here."

"Enter," said a disembodied voice.

Shampoo closed the door behind her and the lights flash on. Temporarily blinded, the amazon raised her hand over her eyes to get a look at the person who called.

"I didn't think you'd accept my help," said the person, "I thought you might want to handle the situation on your own."

The purple-haired girl suddenly remembered whose voice it was.

"Oh, it you. Why should help each other?" she asked, her vision returning to normal as she lowered her hand.

"I believe we should discuss that later, after we separate the love birds," replied the person.

"Ok, so what plan?" wondered the amazon.

"I'm glad you asked," answered the person, smiling, "This way, please," leading the purple-haired girl farther into the house.

And the two of them talked for a time long into the night.

----------End of 2nd part of continuing storyline-----------

* * *

Thank you for reading Part Two of Path of Destiny.

I would like to know your opinion of the story so far. Any review will be greatly appreciated. And I try to respond to as many as I can.

Again, thank you for reading my story and I hope you'll stick around for the next installment coming in the near future.


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